The List Festival 2014 Week 1

FESTIVAL

COMEDY | DANCE | KIDS | MUSIC | THEATRE | ART | CLUBS

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FREE

ADAM RICHES RUSSELL KANE LUCY PORTER ONE MAN BREAKING BAD JANIS JOPLIN: FULL TILT I AM BRAZIL KIM NOBLE ISA GENZKEN SONG OF THE GOAT GLEN MATLOCK AND MANY MORE

EDITION

!"#$%&' ()"#*'#& THE COMEDY AWARD WINNER ON WHY SHE’S NOT DONE WITH FEMINISM

WS 150+ SHEOWED PRREECVOMIMENDATIONS

+ HITLIST

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TICKET OFFERS

INSIDE

31 JUL – 7 AUG 2014 | WEEK 1 LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL

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Festival

CONTENTS

FRONT

4

Mailbox Top 20 News

4 6 12

FEATURES

14

Bridget Christie Comedians writing plays Referendum shows Weird venues

FESTIVAL 2014 | WEEK 1 | LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL

14 17 20 23

FOOD & DRINK

24

New and notable openings

24

COMEDY

27

Adam Riches Andy De La Tour What Does the Title Matter Anyway?

Come Heckle Christ Camilla Cleese

DANCE This is Brasil Black Grace The Warriors: A Love Story Missing

KIDS The Cat in the Hat Dean Friedman Potted Sherlock Pips and Panda

COVER STORY

MUSIC

BRIDGET CHRISTIE In the year since Christie triumphed at the Edinburgh

Bacchanalia The Living Mountain Asian Dub Foundation All Back To Bowie’s Glen Matlock

Comedy Awards with her 2013 show, A Bic for Her, the subject of feminism has increasingly become a headline-grabbing topic. We invited the comedian to share, in her own words, the reasons for returing to feminism as her subject for this year’s Fringe show – read all about it on page 14.

THEATRE

17

20

GREAT OFFERS Win tickets to Museum After Hours Win tickets to Edinburgh Art Festival Detours Win tickets to Foodies Festival

9 10 8

Win tickets to Fosters’ Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala 9 Win tickets and DVD for Ennio – The Living Paper Cartoon 8 Win tickets to Edinburgh Art Festival Lates

10

2 for 1 tickets at the Pleasance 10

COVER IMAGE AND COVER STORY IMAGE © RICH HARDCASTLE

COMEDIANS AT PLAY

We talked to Russell Kane, Richard Herring, Lucy Porter and Suki Webster, four comics flexing their dramatic muscles at the 2014 Fringe.

REFERENDUM SHOWS

Naturally, Scotland’s impending independence vote is a hot topic at the Festival this year. Use our helpful flow chart to figure out which shows suit you best.

Win tickets to Great British Bake Off star Glenn Cosby’s show ‘Food Junkie’ 9 Win tickets to Alasdair Gray at Edinburgh International Book Festival

8

Light Janis Joplin: Full Tilt Theatre and the Commonwealth Song of the Goat Kim Noble: Mental

VISUAL ART Isa Genzken Tessa Lynch Counterpoint Ross Sinclair American Impressionism

CLUBS 99 Hanover Street

AROUND TOWN CineFringe Festival Detours

INDEX

28 30 34 42 43

51 51 52 54 54

56 56 57 58 58

60 60 61 61 62 62

65 65 66 68 73 78

85 85 87 88 90 92

93 93

94 94 95

96

THIS WEEK ON LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL We’ve got a stack of useful guides if you’re visiting Edinburgh for the first time, taking in the city’s clubs, attractions, restaurants, cocktail bars and LGBT hotspots. Plus we’re constantly y updating our Big Fat Fringe Bribe blog – see page 4 to find out more.

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Festival

MAILBOX

CONTRIBUTORS Publisher & General Editor Robin Hodge Director Simon Dessain

(P)REVIEWS Our first festival issue goes to press before any shows have actually taken place, meaning there are no bona fide Festival reviews yet. That doesn’t stop some enthusiastic, enterprising and occasionally eccentric types using our online comments section to get a head start though. Here’s a selection of the best – you can add your voice to the conversation at list.co.uk/festival

Tshwane Gospel Choir If you’re looking for the heartbeat of Africa then look no further than the drumbeats of Tshwane Gospel Choir . . . harmonious and rhythmic sounds of Africa presented raw or with instrumental accompaniment. Young souls from the capital city of South Africa . . . ready to blow you away.

Comment posted by boitumelo langa The Orc Mischief Free ring of power to each entrant!

Comment posted by The Orc Mischief

Tshwane Gospel Choir Vicky Aldridge: Guilty Secrets One of the best female comedians I have seen, and I watch a lot of comedy.

Definitely a must-see for all parents as the jokes are based on real life experiences.

Vicky says all the things you are thinking but don’t vocalise. I was in stitches beginning to end. Highly recommend if you like stand up comedy, and if you don’t like comedy and want a good girls night out, you won’t be disappointed.

Comment posted by Princess Shelley The Birdmann: A Man Like No Man It’s fine to be free.

Comment posted by The Birdmann

BRIBE

John Byrne: Sitting Ducks / Dead End Phenominal familiar must see!!

Comment posted by Catriona MacTavish

EK E W E OF TH

Made in ILVA – The Contemporary Hermit ‘A performance of rare perfection, abstract and concrete at the same time, able to instil strength and pain, strain and desperation in the apparent simplicity of dramaturgy . . . few sentences, often repeated; the body on stage is acted and exposed in an acrobatic concentration able to let feel physical and emotional tensions, the rhythm of work and the pulsation of thoughts for the real situation of Ilva of Taranto, for the effort of everyday life without hope which goes beyond every border. This performance is truly extraordinary – accurate, rigorous under every aspect.’

Valeria Ottolenghi, Gazzetta of Parma.

Comment posted by Instabili Vaganti Compagnia Teatrale Next time: your reviews.

SWEATER CURSE We received a flurry of bribes in our shameless opening appeal, but the clear winner in terms of uniqueness and craftsmanship was Elaine Liner’s envelope stuffed with colourful knitted cup cosies / wrist-warmers / small dog sweaters (each complete with a hand-written note). Elaine’s show, Sweater Curse, has a distinctly woollen theme running through it, so it’s good to know she has the crafty chops to back up her comedic storytelling skills.

■ Sweater Curse, Sweet Grassmarket, 243 3596, 1–24 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 2pm, £8 (£6). See list.co.uk/bribe for our Bribe of the Week runners up.

If you fancy buying some great exposure for your Festival performance, send some promotional payola to Big Fat Festival Bribe, The List, 14 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TE.

EDITORIAL Editor Gail Tolley Festival Features Editor Yasmin Sulaiman Research Manager Kirstyn Smith Senior Researcher Jaclyn Arndt Research Alex Johnston, Rowena McIntosh, Henry Northmore, Murray Robertson, Rebecca Monks Editorial Assistant Colin Robertson SALES & MARKETING Media Sales Manager Chris Knox Senior Media Sales Executives Nicky Carter, Debbie Thomson Digital Sales Executive Joe McManus Sales Support Executive Jessica Rodgers Digital Business Development Director Brendan Miles Partnership Director Sheri Friers !

PRODUCTION Production Director Simon Armin Senior Designer Lucy Munro DIGITAL Web Editor Hamish Brown Digital Content Editor Niki Boyle Social Media Editor Yasmin Sulaiman Senior Developer Andy Carmichael Senior Designer Bruce Combe Software Developer Iain McCusker Senior DBA Andy Bowles Digital Design Associate Jen Devonshire Digital Production Assistant Maud Sampson ADMINISTRATION Accounts Manager Sarah Reddie Events and Administration Assistant Jade Regulski SECTION EDITORS Around Town Kirstyn Smith Clubs Rosie Davies Comedy Brian Donaldson Dance/Kids Kelly Apter Food & Drink Donald Reid Music Claire Sawers News David Kettle Theatre Gareth K Vile Up Front Niki Boyle Visual Art Rachael Cloughton Published by The List Ltd HEAD OFFICE: 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE Tel: 0131 550 3050, Fax: 0131 557 8500, list.co.uk, email editor@list.co.uk GLASGOW OFFICE: at the CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD Tel: 0141 332 9929, glasgow@list.co.uk ISSN: 0959 - 1915 ©2014 The List Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the written permission of the publishers. The List does not accept responsibility for unsolicited material.

The List provides this content in good faith but no guarantee or representation is given that the content is accurate, complete or up-to-date.

Use of magazine content is at your own risk.

Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd, W.Yorkshire.

4 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Festival

TOP 20

Overwhelmed by all that’s on offer through the Festival? Here are the 20 essential shows you don’t want to miss

PHOTO © GREG NEALE

PHOTO © NIALL WALKER

CLUBS

THEATRE

Summerhall kicks off August with the second-hottest launch party in town (the first, of course, being our own bash the night before). Excellent Afrocentric blog-turned-label Awesome Tapes from Africa heads up the bill alongside live dance music outfit Golden Teacher (pictured) and electronica aficionado David Barbarossa – check out list.co.uk for an interview with ATFA main man Brian Shimkovitz. Summerhall, 1 Aug.

A fitting topic for Fringetime, the latest project from theatremaker Gary McNair explores the darker edge of live comedy. See feature, page 70.

Traverse, 31 Jul–24 Aug (not Mon).

Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian

PHOTO © IDIL SUKAN

Summerhall Festival Opening Party

COMEDY

AROUND TOWN

KIDS

Apparently, Riches hates being in the crowd for audience interaction – odd, given the award-winning comedian’s talent for using it in his own shows.

See feature, page 28. Pleasance Dome, until 24 Aug.

The home team take on Finland’s Dirty River Roller Grrrls (2 Aug, with guest commentary from Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana) and London’s Brawl Saints (9 Aug). Meadowbank Sports Centre, 2 & 9 Aug.

Ukulele-strumming New Yorker Amelia Robinson gets the day off to a joyful start. See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Pleasance Courtyard, until 17 Aug (not 11).

Adam Riches

Auld Reekie Roller Girls

THEATRE

Musical Mornings with Mil’s Trills

COMEDY

The Pin One of last year’s highlights, sketch duo the Pin return to deliver more comedy of conflicting personalities.

See feature at list.co.uk/festival.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 Aug (not 11, 18).

Return to the Voice

Isa Genzken: Botanical Garden

VISUAL ART

COMEDY

Inspired by Scottish and Gaelic musical traditions, Song of the Goat present a unique music and theatre performance in the grandeur of St Giles’ Cathedral. See feature, page 73. Summerhall @ St Giles’ Cathedral, 6–25 Aug (not 10–12, 17, 22–24).

Her first UK show outside London, this exhibition offers a retrospective of the influential German sculptor’s career, taking in geometric structures and urban plasticity. See preview, page 85.

Inverleith House, until 28 Sep (not Mon).

Clive Anderson reunites with stars of the original TV series Whose Line is it Anyway? – including Greg Proops, Josie Lawrence, Stephen Frost and Colin Mochrie – for an hour of improv. See feature, page 34. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 6–19 Aug.

What Does the Title Matter Anyway?

6 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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PHOTO © IDIL SUKAN / DRAW HQ

DANCE

Black Grace

The Generation of Z

THEATRE

KIDS

Potted Sherlock

Bridget Christie

The New Zealand dance company presents a programme of short pieces from their 20-year career, with music including Jimi Hendrix, Johann Sebastian Bach and traditional Maori songs. See preview, page 52.

Assembly Roxy, until 22 Aug.

Demonstrating that there’s still life within the old corpse yet, New Zealand’s Royale Productions stage a plot-driven twist on the interactive zombie experience. See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Assembly George Square, 31 Jul–25 Aug (not 11, 19).

Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation gets a head-spinning abbreviation, as all 60 of his adventures are boiled down into a 70-minute performance. See preview, page 58. Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 Aug (not Wed).

Last year’s Comedy Award winner returns for a new feminist-themed hour (plus a one-off recording of her regular BBC Radio 4 show, Mind the Gap). See feature, page 14. The Stand, 2–25 Aug (not 11); BBC@ Potterrow, 24 Aug.

COMEDY

PHOTO © ALEX BRENNEN

VISUAL ART

THEATRE

MUSIC

Tessa Lynch: Raising

Light

If you manage to build a house and have a fire in the hearth by sunset, you can claim ownership of the land. That’s the ancient law Lynch aims to explore with her series of old-style barn-raisings at Jupiter Artland. See feature, page 87. Jupiter Artland, Thu–Sun until 28 Sep.

Theatre company Ad Infinitum (Ballad of the Burning Star, Translunar Paradise) present a story of love and betrayal in a technological dystopian future inspired by the revelations of Edward Snowden. See preview, page 69. Pleasance Dome, until 25 Aug (not 11, 18).

Glen Matlock: I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol The original bassist for the Sex Pistols (replaced

by Sid Vicious in 1977 after helping write a chunk of Never Mind the Bollocks) discusses a life spent kicking against the pricks. See preview, page 62.

Assembly George Square, 1–6 Aug. PHOTO © JAY HYNES

MUSIC / THEATRE

DANCE

COMEDY

THEATRE / MUSIC

A one-man song-cycle probing the sexual, sensual side of its saintly, semi-immortal protagonist, performed by none other than Erasure’s Andy Bell. See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Assembly George Square, 5–16 Aug.

David Bolger’s piece concerning lost loved ones arrives at the Fringe on a wave of praise from last year’s Dublin Dance Festival, and in the hands of double Fringe First-winner CoisCéim Dance Theatre. See preview, page 54. Dance Base, 1–24 Aug (not Mon).

Walter, Jesse, Skyler, Saul, Fring, Hank – how is it possible to fit their entire story into one hour? We’re guessing by cutting out at least one awkward breakfast scene.

See preview, page 46. Famous Spiegeltent, 1–11 Aug (not 5); The Stand III & IV, 13–24 Aug (not 19).

An intense depiction of the iconic 60s singer-songwriter and member of the tragic 27 Club from Cora Bissett (Roadkill) and Peter Arnott (White Rose, Cyprus), played with passion by Angie Darcy. See feature, page 66. Assembly Checkpoint, 31 Jul–24 Aug (not 12, 19).

Torsten the Bareback Saint

Missing

One Man Breaking Bad

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 7

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READER OFFERS WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE ENNIO THE LIVING PAPER CARTOON

WIN TICKETS TO SEE ALASDAIR GRAY AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

Ennio is the original quick change artist, revolutionising the art of origami into theatrical magic. Inspired by the craft and Carnevale of his native Venice, Ennio has been delighting audiences across the globe since he burst on to the scene at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1990.

Of Me and Others is as close to Alasdair Gray’s autobiography as we are likely to get. Described by its editor Alistair Braidwood as ‘ribald, humorous, angry and incisive’, this new tome by one of Scotland’s literary superstars describes his meetings with authors such as Anthony Burgess, and explains how he went about writing his masterpiece Lanark and recent Faust adaptation, Fleck.

Ennio’s wildly entertaining show features a whirlwind of superb paper costumes and split second transformations, a sizzling soundtrack, and tremendous celebrity send-ups. With razor sharp mimicry he morphs into parodies of over 60 popular icons including Lady Gaga, Pharrell Williams, Beyoncé and Marilyn Monroe – a whole host of brand new characters alongside his much-loved classics.

The List has five pairs of tickets to give away to this event. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

The List has five pairs of tickets to give away to see Ennio - The Living Paper Cartoon at the Pleasance on Mon 4, Tue 5 or Wed 6 Aug. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What is the name of Alasdair Gray’s famous novel published in 1981?

Which European city is Ennio from?

Ennio Marchetto: The Living Paper Cartoon Pleasance One 30 Jul – 1 Aug (previews), 2 Aug – 15 Aug (not 11) 22:30 (23:30) £8 preview, £14 (£13), £12.50 (£11.50) 12th Aug 0131 556 6550

Gray: The Colour of Scotland Edinburgh International Book Festival 13 Aug | 1.30pm - 2:30pm

edbookfest.co.uk

pleasance.co.uk

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 4 AUG 2014. NOT REDEEMABLE WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, NO CASH VALUE, LIMITED TO AVAILABILITY THE LIST’S USUAL RULES APPLY.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 6 AUG 2014. TICKET WINNERS SHOULD COLLECT TICKETS FROM THE INFO DESK IN THE ENTRANCE TENT AT LEAST HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE EVENT STARTS. THEY NEED TO BRING THEIR EMAIL CONFIRMING THEY ARE THE WINNER IN ORDER TO CLAIM THEIR TICKETS. ANY TICKETS NOT COLLECTED HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE EVENT STARTS WILL BE PUT BACK ON SALE.THE LIST’S USUAL RULES APPLY.

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO FOODIES FESTIVAL Foodies Festival, the UK’s largest celebration of food & drink returns to Edinburgh Inverleith Park on the weekend of 8 - 10 August this year and we have a pair of tickets to give away.

Each year the ever-growing festival sees tens-of-thousands of visitors flock from the surrounding areas to feast on a vast array of culinary activities, making Foodies Festival the social event of the summer. There are top chefs cooking in the Chef’s Theatre; wine, beer, and cocktails in the Drinks Theatre; top pastry chefs in the brand new Chocolate, Cake, Bake and Preserves Theatre, and kids can learn to cook too in the Children’s Cookery Theatre.

A new Feasting Tent at the heart of the festival becomes the social hub, where visitors can enjoy eating with chefs, friends and family at long banqueting tables.

Another exciting addition this year is the Vintage Tea Tent that will hold daily tea dances, alongside a Vintage Kitchen Market allowing visitors to pick up beautiful pieces to add to their own kitchens at home.

The new Real Ale and Cider Farm offers an area for visitors to chill out on hay bales and strike up a conversation with our beer and cider expert Melissa Cole and fellow beer lovers. There’s a guitar behind the bar for those in the mood to get a sing-along started.

A new Chilli Food Market will excite those with a love for spicy foods with a range of chilli growers and artisan producers of sauces, sweets and jams. For those who can handle the heat a Chilli Eating Challenge takes place at 5pm daily.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to Foodies Festival for the day of your choice, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and answer the following question:

In which Edinburgh Park does Foodies take place?

Foodies Festival 8–10 Aug 2014 Inverleith Park, Edinburgh

foodiesfestival.com

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 6 AUG. USUAL LIST RULES APPLY.

8 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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READER OFFERS WIN TICKETS TO GLENN COSBY: FOOD JUNKIE AT ASSEMBLY ROXY

WIN TICKETS TO FOSTER’S EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS GALA

Win tickets to the star of last year’s Great British Bake Off, Glenn Cosby, who makes his debut at this years Fringe with his show entitled Food Junkie.

Expect great stories, secret recipes and a piece of cake for every audience member! Food Junkie will also unveil the world’s smallest bakery, where he will cook live!

“His tastes buds are always bang on” Paul Hollywood “I would actually like to live in one of Glenn’s big bakes. Forever” Mel Giedroyc The List are giving away five pairs of tickets to Glenn Cosby’s new show Food Junkie for any Sunday of the Fringe. To be in with a chance of winning, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What time is Glenn Cosby on at Assembly Roxy?

Glenn Cosby: Food Junkie Assembly – Roxy Central, 4pm 2 – 25 August (except 12)

assemblyfestival.com TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 26 AUGUST 2014. TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SUNDAYS 2, 9, 16 & 23 AUGUST. THE LIST’S USUAL RULES APPLY.

WIN TICKETS TO MUSEUM AFTER HOURS

Enjoy a unique flavour of the Fringe and explore the National Museum of Scotland across three exhilarating nights. Sound-tracked by our resident vintage gramophone DJ Lord Holyrude and guest-programmed by The List, each night of this adults-only extravaganza will offer a different and tantalizing taste of the Fringe, with hand-picked performers, music, bars and entry to Ming: The Golden Empire.

We’ve got a pair of tickets and a meal for two (with bottle of wine) at the Museum Brasserie to give away for the opening night of Museum After Hours on Friday 8 Aug. To enter, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Who is our resident vintage gramophone DJ? Museum After Hours Friday Fringe Takeover Fridays 8, 15 & 22 August at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street 7.30pm-10.30pm £16, £14 Members and Concessions, age 18+, includes admission to Ming: The Golden Empire exhibition

In 2013 it was Bridget Christie, in 2012 it was Doctor Brown and in 2011 it was Adam Riches - who will take home the prestigious Best Comedy Award show this year?

You can catch this years’ winner and nominees for the Best Comedy Show, as the creme of the crop perform live at the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala on 24 August at 21:00 at Underbelly McEwan Hall.

The List are giving away ten pairs of tickets to the event. To be in with a chance of winning, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Who won Best Newcomer in 2013?

Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala 24 Aug 2014, 21:00 McEwan Hall, Teviot Place, Edinburgh GUIDES

nms.co.uk

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 5 AUG 2014. ENTRANTS MUST BE OVER THE AGE OF 18. PRIZE IS NON-REFUNDABLE OR EXCHANGEABLE. USUAL LIST RULES APPLY.

comedyawards.co.uk @comedyawards

Foster's ≠ A Thirst For Talent!

TERMS & CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 13 AUG 2014. OPEN TO UK RESIDENTS 18 AND OVER. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. NO TRANSPORT OR ACCOMMODATION PROVIDED. USUAL LIST RULES APPLY.

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 9

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READER OFFERS WIN TICKETS TO EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL DETOURS Providing fresh perspectives on visual art, Festival Detours is a series of intimate live performances in Edinburgh’s leading galleries, brought to you by Edinburgh Art Festival in association with The List.

The List are giving away two pairs of tickets to each of Edinburgh Art Festival’s Art Lates.

We have two pairs of tickets to give away to each of the Detours events. To be in with a chance of winning log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Which event would you like tickets to?

Eilidh MacAskill The Conference Call of the Birds 6 August 2014, 3pm City Art Centre | £4 (£10 family ticket) Eilidh MacAskill brings a special family-friendly theatrical performance which is created with award-winning composer Greg Sinclair

Luke Wright 17 August 2014, 2pm | Talbot Rice Gallery | £4 Luke Wright’s performances have taken him all over the world, and he is a regular performer at the Edinburgh festivals.

Meursault 19 August 2014, 6pm | New Media Scotland | £4 Edinburgh-based band Meursault will perform in the surroundings of New Media Scotland’s Alt-w exhibition.

John Osborne 12 August 2014, 5.30pm | Collective | £4 John Osborne’s show John Peel’s Shed was a sell-out at Edinburgh Fringe in 2011. In this performance he will bring his storytelling talents to the surroundings of Collective’s Ross Sinclair: 20 Years of Real Life exhibition.

edinburghartfestival.com

WIN TICKETS TO ART LATES AT EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL

GUIDES

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 6 AUG 2014. THERE IS NO CASH ALTERNATIVE. USUAL LIST RULES APPLY.

Art Late is Edinburgh Art Festival’s popular series late openings and events programmed in association with The List, taking in live music, performances, artist talks and tours. This year offers even more opportunities to enjoy our exhibitions by night, as we introduce Art Late Central – a chance to take in our festivalled programme in the heart of the city.

To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Which event would you like tickets to?

Art Late Central Thursday 7 August | 6 – 10pm Art Late Central includes performances from Craig Coulthard and Chris Devotion the Expectations, and takes in work at the Old Royal High School, Trinity Apse and City Art Centre.

Art Late North Thursday 14 August | 6 – 10pm Includes a performance from Woven Tents, and takes in exhibitions at Collective, Ingleby Gallery, The Fruitmarket Gallery, GARAGE, Old Ambulance Depot, Inverleith House, Stills and the Travelling Gallery.

Art Late South Thursday 21 August | 6 – 10pm Includes a performance from The Little Kicks, and will take in exhibitions at Edinburgh College of Art, New Media Scotland, Dovecot Studios, Summerhall and Talbot Rice Gallery.

GUIDES

edinburghartfestival.com

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: COMPETITION CLOSES 6 AUG 2014. THERE IS NO CASH ALTERNATIVE. USUAL LIST RULES APPLY.

2 FOR 1 TICKETS AT THE PLEASANCE The Pleasance is offering all List readers 2 for 1 tickets across five of their top shows at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

2 for 1 tickets for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Voca People, This is Brasil - The Show, Peter Straker Black Magic and The Comedy Reserve.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas takes you on a wild journey with Dr Gonzo and the esteemed Dr Hunter S Thompson to the heart of the American Dream, Voca People is a thrilling and original musical adventure full of energy, featuring more than eighty of your favourite hits and This is Brasil - The Show brings the carnival beats to Edinburgh with unstoppable rhythm, jaw-dropping acrobatics and breathless football magic.

Also, fringe favourite Peter Straker returns with his new show Black Magic, performing classic songs with his unique rock edge and four of the hottest new acts on the comedy circuit help celebrate the 10th year of the Pleasance Comedy Reserve.

To redeem this offer and claim your 2 for 1 tickets, visit the box office in person or call 01315566550 and quote LIST241 Pleasance Courtyard and Pleasance Dome 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ

pleasance.co.uk

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: OFFER CLOSES 6 AUG 2014. 2 FOR 1 OFFER VALID ON FULL PRICE TICKETS FOR THESE FIVE SHOWS ONLY, BETWEEN 30 JULY - 6 AUGUST. OFFER MUST BE REDEEMED IN PERSON OR OVER THE PHONE, CANNOT BE REDEEMED ONLINE. A HANDLING FEE APPLIES OF £1 PER TICKET, CAPPED AT £5. TICKETS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. USUAL LIST RULE APPLY.

10 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Tickets still available for hundreds of events including: Mackenzie Crook Ali Smith Will Self Germaine Greer Julian Cope Gruff Rhys Mark Watson Mpho Tutu

Kevin Eldon Tony Parsons Sarah Waters Charlie Adlard Alan Warner Jackie Kay Bonnie Greer Alasdair Gray

Book now: 0845 373 5888 www.edbookfest.co.uk

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31 Julâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 11

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FRONTLINES

NEWS, GOSSIP AND OPINION FROM ACROSS THE FESTIVALS

PIC OF THE WEEK

JIM LAMBIE

PHOTO © RUTH CLARK

Part of the enormous, Scotland-wide GENERATION celebration of 25 years of the nation’s contemporary art, Glasgowborn Jim Lambie’s solo exhibition floods the Fruitmarket Gallery with colour and energy – and it’s on right now for early festivalgoers, continuing through until October.

■ Fruitmarket Gallery, 225 2383, until 19 Oct, free.

DIARY FESTIVAL NEWS IN A NUTSHELL • New venues alert: veteran Fringe theatre company Paines Plough unveils its new, portable, circular pop-up venue, The Roundabout, at Summerhall on Sat 2 Aug. Elsewhere, an 80-seater baby brother (or sister) – the art deco Kazador Tent – joins Assembly’s Spiegeltent Palazzo in George Square this festival. The Institut français erects its own circus tent in Randolph Crescent gardens for L’Enfant qui. . . and Northern Stage takes up new residence at King’s Hall, near Bristo Square and Summerhall.

• It’s a bold promoter who nails their indyref colours to the mast, but the guys behind Universal

Arts (of New Town Theatre, Hill Street Theatre and EICC) have four pro-independence essays in their Fringe brochure. ‘On our own we can forge our own destiny; as part of the UK we will continue to be a “northern territory”,’ writes artistic director Tomek Borkowy.

• Eddie Izzard and Dylan Moran headline a one-night-only European comedy show on 5 Aug. Comedy Sans Frontières brings together comics from Italy, France, Russia, Germany, Ireland and the UK – it’s at the Pleasance Grand at 11.50pm.

• A new Fringe app promises to take you into the unknown,

the rare and the unexpected.

FrinGeo works out where you are and suggests three free Fringe shows close by and starting shortly. More at fringeo.com • The Fringe Sustainable Practice Award shortlist has just been announced, celebrating shows that encourage their audiences to think about sustainability, and which also take responsibility for their own environmental impacts. Shortlisted shows include A Walk at the Edge of the World, Be-dom and The Evolution Will Be Televised.

Full details at list.co.uk/ sustainablefringe

GOOD WEEK FOR . . .

Summerhall, with the announcement that eight of the former vet school’s shows this year will be satellite streamed to 30 Odeon cinemas across the UK, from Brighton to Dundee, Leeds to (bizarrely) Edinburgh. The shows – including The Dispute, The Man Who Almost Killed Himself and Berkoff, the Inimitable – are all produced by digital arts specialists Hibrow.

BAD WEEK FOR . . .

Cancellations – but, well, it’s inevitable that some shows simply won’t make it. Among those pulling out on the Fringe are Shadowthief, The Thistle, The Burning Crowd and No Way Back, while over at the Book Festival, Simon Schama will no longer be appearing at his event originally scheduled for 25 Aug.

12 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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N O I N OPI

MY EDINBURGH PHOTO © EDWARD MOORE

The comedian and activist issues a timely reminder that being funny is about sheer hard work, not selfindulgence

SIMON MUNNERY My first Edinburgh Festival experience was . . .

Losing my cherry up Arthur’s Seat. Every year I go back to look for it.

KATE SMURTHWAITE T

here are hundreds of shows at the Fringe.

Statistically they cannot all be brilliant. And that’s OK. Seeing, or indeed being in, a proper turkey is a rite of passage in Edinburgh. That look you give your friend that says, ‘I think we’re close enough to the door to sprint for it at the next scene change.’ That moment when you realise that destroying a Godzilla of red-top newspapers with your super-soaker of truth doesn’t cleverly satirise the rotten core of the Leveson inquiry, but actually just slowly fills your basement venue with papier mâché.

But please spare me this: actually write a show. The joyous freedom to experiment, unrivalled among arts festivals around the world, will teach you nothing if the opening – and only – joke of the show is ‘Ooops, we haven’t written anything.’ I’ve seen it far too often.

The root of the problem is that great comedians have always made their art form seem effortless. They glide in and out of material, slide into improvisation, they’re never at a loss for words. Audiences and critics are easily fooled into assuming comedy greatness is a genetic condition, a gift or sometimes a curse that means every

UNSUNG HERO KENNY O’BRIEN

W What’s your jo title? job T Tough one: I area I’m m manager for t Stand the Comedy Clubs and a director of Salt’n’Sauce. Tommy Sheppard (Big Boss) has taken to introducing me as ‘Operations Manager’.

Not sure why or what that might mean. I work for the Stand.

What do you actually do?

Tricky to nail that one down too. I try and make sure we have the people in place to do the work, and

word dripping from their lips incites uncontrollable hysteria in all upon whose ears it falls.

Not so. Here is the dirty little secret. The best comedians are the ones who work hard. The ones who write material, tweak material, pitch up with wodges of notes at suburban pub nights frantically ticking and striking things and searching for a synonym for flip flop that rhymes with window sill.

Whatever the ticket price, audiences have picked your show from the hundreds out there, given you an hour of their time. The very least you can do is write a show, a show with a point and a structure and a big finish. And if it doesn’t work as you scrape the newspaper pulp off the floor with half an espadrille (yes!), at least you can say you failed spectacularly.

Kate Smurthwaite has three Fringe shows: The News at Kate: Leftie Cock Womble, Viva Mexico, 2–23 Aug (not 12), 5pm, free; The Evolution Will Be Televised, Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug (not 12), 8.20pm, free; Late with Kate, Canon’s Gait, 2–23 Aug (not 3, 10, 17), midnight, free.

We salute the tireless figures who devote their Augusts to . . . well, making it all happen

I try to help them be able to do their jobs well. I’m somewhere between being a kind of glue and Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction. I usually come tops in the poll of people you’d phone if you accidentally killed someone and needed help with the corpse. I also still pour beers and mop floors and empty bins, hump gear around and all the down and dirty stuff. I also do tea and sympathy and pecker up-keeping (of a sort).

Where are we likely to see you?

Running around York Place, St Andrew Square and George Street.

What’s your most memorable festival experience?

Most memorable is probably watching Simon Munnery cope with hellish illness by not giving up, but instead writing three shows which he would choose from on a day-to-day basis depending on how bad he was feeling. The biggest compliment I ever had was from a reviewer who said he always holds off going to the loo till he gets to the Stand, because he knows it’s the one venue toilet in Edinburgh he can rely on to be reasonably clean and have paper in, even at midnight.

What’s the worst thing about your job?

Dealing with punters who just don’t get it. I also don’t get much in the way of a summer holiday with my wife and kids, but they do understand how hard and intense August is. My wife’s birthday is in August, apparently.

Any plans for this year?

I want all our customers to arrive, linger and leave safe and happy. All our acts to have a good time, a positive experience artistically, and not go bust for the privilege. All our staff to have a pocketful of anecdotes and some wages left.

Edinburgh’s unique selling point is . . .

It’s very handy for the M8.

I am likely to be found . . .

Because I am terrible at hiding.

That doesn’t stop me trying, though, and nor should it you.

Hide from the authorities – one day you might need to.

My favourite place to eat is . . .

The Square on North St Andrew Street, next to the Stand. I have dish of the day, or the delicious lentil & bacon soup. There are carrots in it – and they don’t even mention that.

My favourite place to drink is . . .

Lord Bodo’s, opposite the Stand. [At the moment Lord Bodo’s is closed for renovation.]

Make sure you see…

Portobello beach. There’s something about an ocean horizon that cleanses the mind.

And the sea cleanses your feet.

Double win.

The best thing about the Edinburgh Festival is . . .

Its sheer size. It is uncriticisably huge.

The worst thing about the Edinburgh Festival is . . .

Its sheer size. It dwarfs us all.

One day I will . . .

Put on a show at dawn. It is the great unused time slot.

■ Simon Munnery Sings Soren Kierkegaard, The Stand, 1–25 Aug (not 11), 3.55pm, £10 (£9).

Preview 30 Jul, £9 (£8); Fylm School, Assembly Rooms, 4 Aug, 6pm, £10; He also appears in A Slight Ache, Pleasance Courtyard, 2–25 Aug (not 13, 20), 12.45pm, £6–£9 (£6–£8).

Previews 30 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

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PHOTO © RICH HARDCASTLE

‘Within days of winning the award last year, journalists were asking, “So what’s next?”, as if I’d said all there was to say on the subject’

14 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Bridget Christie | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

WHAT

BRIDGET DID NEXT

Bridget Christie is back at the Fringe after winning the 2014 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award. She tells us why she’ll never be done with feminism – no matter what journalists say

I

’m a professional idiot. That’s my job. On both my children’s birth certificates, next to ‘mother’s occupation’ it says ‘Hired Fool’. All I’m required to do is make people laugh. I’m not the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. I don’t work for the Department for International Development or Amnesty International. I didn’t (according to one sarcastic man on Twitter) eradicate female genital mutilation in the whole of Africa by wearing an ‘END FGM’ badge on a TV panel show. If only it were that simple.

I’m a comedian. I stand in front of people and try to make them laugh. That’s my main objective. It may not always look like it, but it is. Sometimes I try to raise awareness for things too, if I think I can get away with it. I write about things that interest me. For the last few years I’ve been consumed with gender politics, so that’s what I’m talking about at the moment. I didn’t reinvent myself, I just became tired of dressing up as plagues and insects and lugging props around. At around the same time, I had my feminist epiphany when a man farted in the women’s studies section of a bookshop. Was this man’s fart indicative of how modern feminism is perceived today? That it’s just something to be farted at? I wondered if I could talk about feminism, a hugely divisive and potentially alienating subject, by merging these two aspects, the absurd and the weighty, together. By decontextualising the feminist element and placing it next to a fart, you take the curse off it. Unless of course you don’t find farts funny and hate feminism. In which case, I’m your worst nightmare.

Comedy doesn’t need to be about anything, of course. In fact, it’s often better if it isn’t, especially on a Friday or a Saturday night, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. I had nothing to lose. Personally, from a comedic point of view, a man farting at some of the most important works of feminist literature of the past 100 years had legs. That’s how I’ve tried to approach subjects since. Sometimes, you can’t make an idea funny and you just have to let it go. In my new show, An Ungrateful Woman, I struggled for ages, trying to make a difficult issue work and decided to drop it. Then, a week or so later, someone criticised me over that exact issue and handed me the keys to a routine. Boom! Nice one, dickhead.

When I originally started talking about feminism, about four years ago, I knew it wouldn’t be popular. And it wasn’t. I didn’t have the confidence to talk about it in my own voice, so I did it from the perspective of an ant. I just swapped the word ‘woman’ with ‘ant’, and talked about how difficult it was being an ant comedian. Even

though I was obviously shouting about gender equality, people were more willing to accept it because it was an ant. An angry ant shouting about feminism is much less alienating than a woman doing it. How can you hate an ant? Even still, it hardly ever worked. After a while I just dropped the ant part altogether, and tried to make it work in my own voice. It only came together last year, really.

Comedians don’t change what they do in order to fit in with current trends. We do what we do and hope for the best. Sometimes we’re in and sometimes we’re out. One year absurdism is popular, then observational, then political, and so on. According to one publication ‘2013 was the year feminism found the Fringe’. There were 700 comedy shows on the Fringe last year, about seven of which covered feminism. Does that constitute a trend? It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year.

Within days of winning the Foster’s award last year, journalists were already asking, ‘So what’s next?’, as if I’d said all there was to say on the subject. Or that I’d fixed everything. Yes, all the misogynists came, loved it and have stopped with all the oppressing now. Didn’t I do well? No, I didn’t. If anything, I’ve made things worse. I wondered whether male comics were asked the same thing.

‘So, Robin Ince, you’ve been angry for quite a few years now, about various things, like God and badly written books, don’t you think it’s time you moved on to something else now? What about doing some mime, Robin? Or learning the ukulele and singing some songs about sweets, ghosts or mud?’ And Andy Zaltzman. Andy Zaltzman must have done politics by now?! Surely it’s time he moved on to the ecosystem or DIY or cats?

There’s one final thing. When a female comic talks passionately about issues, she is ‘whingeing’ or ‘moaning’, but a male comic doing the same thing is principled, committed and passionate. Mark Thomas, for example, didn’t ‘bleat on’ about the arms trade, did he? He spoke powerfully, bravely and emotionally about an issue that was important to him. I look forward to a time when a woman’s voice, publicly expressing an opinion, isn’t compared to that of a sheep or a goat. I don’t know what I’ll be doing in five or ten years’ time – I’ll probably be dead – but for now, there’s still plenty to be ‘banging on’ about. To quote Helen Lewis, the journalist, ‘the comments on any article about feminism justify feminism’.

Bridget Christie: An Ungrateful Woman, The Stand, 558 7272, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 11.10am, £10 (£9).

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™ Its magnificent setting is unbeatable∫ ± The Times

Champagne Caf Bar

at The Signet Library

Fabulous food, Æ ve star Æ zz.

The iconic Pommery Champagne Caf Bar returns.

Fresh food, our fantastic Pommery Champagnes, Edinburgh Festival foodie antics, all under the iconic roof of the Signet Library.

What’s not to love?

This year, in addition to our marvellous menu and lovely fizz, we have an extended programme of fantastic Food & Drink Festival events ± from artisan beers with a burger to whisky cocktails and handcrafted chocolates.

Not to mention our infamous Champagne Afternoon Teaº Don' t miss the most exclusive, the always delicious, and the downright fizziest, Festival experience of the year.

To book tickets to our Food & Drink events please visit edfringe.com or see the events section in this year' s Fringe programme.

Chocolate, Whiskies & Cocktails £25

Single Malt Sundays £40

The Signet Library, Parliament Square, Edinburgh Open daily from 1st ñ 25th August from noon ñ late.

Located 300 metres from Edinburgh Castle.

Reservations: 0131 226 1064 www.thesignetlibrary.co.uk

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Four Beers & a Burger Meet the Brewer £25

Champagne Tutored Tasting £50

Tattoo Ticket & Dinner Packages.

7 Premium Nights only!

£75

/SignetLibrary @PommeryBar pinterest/signetlibrary @pommerybar http://bit.ly/pommeryReviewUs

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list.co.uk/festival

PLAYING AROUND There’s a bumper crop of comedians writing plays at this year’s Fringe.

Yasmin Sulaiman chats to some of them about honing their theatrical skills

‘I

t must be irritating for actors and directors because comedians muscle in everywhere,’ Lucy Porter muses. ‘We’re like, “Yeah, we’ll have a go at that, why not?” I think we are naturally quite reckless.’

It’s a good year for recklessness. Stand-up Porter debuts her first ever play, The Fair Intellectual Club, at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe – and she’s not the only comic turning a hand to theatrical writing. Kim Noble’s You’re Not Alone will be at the Traverse this month, along with Fringe First winner Mark Thomas’ Cuckooed. 2010 Comedy Award winner Russell Kane has written a monologue in which he gets to play a ‘nasty fucking bastard’, Impro Chum Suki Webster brings us her debut play, My Obsession, and Richard Herring’s back with his first play since the late 90s.

‘Back then,’ Herring explains, ‘I was a slightly young upstart doing my double act with Stewart Lee. I got frustrated because I thought those

plays were good. But comedy critics thought I’d got above myself for writing plays, and theatre critics thought, “Who’s this comedian writing plays?”’

Today’s Fringe climate is generally more accepting. Ever since the runaway success of 2003’s Guy Masterson-directed 12 Angry Men, comedians have popped up all over the theatre programme – Daniel Kitson went from Perrier winner to Fringe First darling, and Phil Nichol’s received critical acclaim for his performances with the Comedians Theatre Company. So what’s inspired this year’s crop of comics-turned-playwrights to turn to the theatre?

For Porter, it was the discovery of a good story. The Fair Intellectual Club is inspired by the true tale of three young women from Edinburgh who, at the dawn of the Scottish Enlightenment, set up their own society to teach themselves subjects that were usually only taught to men.

‘Obviously, they didn’t go on to be great figures of the Enlightenment,’

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Comedians Writing Plays

L-R: Kim Noble’s You’re Not Alone, Suki Webster’s My Obsession, Richard Herring’s I Killed Rasputin, Mark Thomas’ Cuckooed. Previous page: Russell Kane’s The Closure of Craig Solly

‘It’s harder if you’re a stand-up to do a play. It’s Porter explains. ‘They fell at the hurdle of domesticity and marriage like so many women do. They published a manifesto that outlined their rules and constitution, and it’s heartbreaking because they say, “Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a society where women were valued as much for their minds as their bodies?” And yeah, 300 years later, wouldn’t it still be nice?’

Porter’s play is a fictionalised account of these young women, and fans of her stand-up will certainly detect the influence of her comedy background – though it has posed some dangers. ‘I’m used to writing for my own voice,’ she says, ‘and I couldn’t help but identify more strongly with one of the characters in this play. So the danger there is that I’ve written a stand-up show for one of them. When I’m writing stand-up, I tend to wander off on massive tangents and I could feel my signature waffly style creeping into this too, so it’s been good discipline to stop doing that.’

In Suki Webster’s My Obsession, she plays a superfan who meets her idol, a comedian played by fellow Impro Chum and husband, Paul Merton. And she’s found her improv background an unexpected boost to her playwriting skills.

‘Interestingly,’ she explains, ‘I wrote the play by imagining myself improvising it on stage with different people, normally the Impro Chums.

At the beginning, I imagined I was on stage with Mike McShane, and then I imagined I was on stage with Lee Simpson, and then with Paul.

In my head, I improvised it out with me playing one character, and then I improvised it out with me playing the other character. Because

otherwise you always give the character you’re playing in your head the best lines.’

Herring’s play, I Killed Rasputin, is about Felix Yusupov, a Russian aristocrat who was involved in the murder of the Mad Monk. ‘I’ve always been obsessed with Rasputin,’ he says. ‘One of my first Edinburgh shows was called Ra-Ra-Rasputin, which was based on the life of Rasputin as if he’d written Boney M’s hits and was a pop star.’

And even though he’s continued to write scripts and TV shows in the 15 years since his last Fringe play, Herring has not found the process easy. ‘With a stand-up gig,’ he explains, ‘I’ll do 40 previews and by the end of that I’ll have a show – you work it out via audience feedback over those 40 nights so it’s a much easier process. It’s just you telling stories, whereas with plays you have to think of a story arc. With a play like this, it’s about trying to make sure you put across all this information that people might not know about what was happening in Tsarist Russia in 1917, without just going “And then what happened was . . . ” There’s a lot more subtlety to it. It’s really good fun – it’s just really hard.’

Among I Killed Rasputin’s six-strong cast are Justin Edwards (star of The Thick of It and Porter’s husband) and Surgical Spirit’s Nichola McAuliffe, who also directs Russell Kane’s monologue, The Closure of Craig Solly. Like Herring, Kane found the process of writing a play harder than the writing he’s done before. ‘The first stage of it went so badly that I wanted to pull the play from the run,’ Kane admits, ‘but it was too late. Without meaning to sound cocky, I’ve done second, third,

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18 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Comedians Writing Plays | FESTIVAL FEATURES

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harder to put down that instinct for “please like me”’ fourth drafts – I’ve written a novel for Christ’s sake – but I’ve never ever had to throw something in the bin before and start again, and I had to with this. It took two full drafts and I’m very, very glad it did because it’s much more interesting and confusing.’

Kane plays Solly, a violent psychopath who tells the audience about his crimes in the style of a victim closure session, though there won’t – as the programme description hints – be any audience interaction. ‘It’s what Lock, Stock with a degree would sound like,’ he says. And he’s realised in rehearsals that he’s had to tone down some of his stand-up impulses: ‘Nichola explained to me that the main difference between stand-up and an actor in a play is that a stand-up goes to the audience to seek approval and needs the laughs. Whereas Craig Solly doesn’t – he just needs to be compelling enough for you to watch through the mess. The moment I turn to you lot, emotionally, and say, “Please like my writing,” it’s fucked. And that is why it’s harder if you’re a stand-up to do a play. It’s harder to put down that instinct for “please like me”.’

Kane’s Fakespeare sketches – think Shakespeare in an Essex accent – have seen him dabble with caricature, but he wrote Craig Solly specifically to showcase his acting talents. ‘I’m not, like, Robert De Niro or anything, but I can act,’ he says. ‘I want to see how far I can go if the audience get behind me because I still don’t know. This’ll be the first time I’ve done it.’

It’s never been a better time to try. ‘As a performer,’ Porter says, ‘you don’t feel that the genre boundaries are so closed any more. Unless

they’re coming to see someone they know is a proper gagsmith, a oneliner merchant, I think audiences quite like it if you do something a bit different that they weren’t quite expecting.’

And if it goes badly, we can always blame that natural recklessness.

‘1.30 in the afternoon in Edinburgh?’ laughs Kane. ‘What could possibly go wrong?’

The Fair Intellectual Club, Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 11am, £10 (£9). Preview 31 Jul, £9 (£8).

My Obsession, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–16 Aug, 2.30pm, £7–£9 (£6–£8). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £5.

I Killed Rasputin, Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–24 Aug, 3.35pm, £12–£14.50 (£11–£13.50). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £10.

The Closure of Craig Solly, Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 18–24 Aug, 1.30pm, £12.50–£14.50 (£10–£13.50).

Cuckooed, Traverse, 228 1404, 3–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), times vary, £19 (£14/£8). Preview 2 Aug, £13 (£7).

Kim Noble: You’re Not Alone, Traverse, 228 1404, 20–24 Aug, 11.15pm, £19 (£14). Preview 19 Aug, £13 (£7).

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Referendum Shows

RE T HE STAR

Yes please, laughs all the way . . .

DO YOU HAVE A FONDNESS FOR CREATURES FROM SCOTTISH FOLKLORE? (THINK BOGLES, BANSHEES AND SELKIES)

WHICH SOUNDS MORE ATTRACTIVE TO YOU: A TRADITIONAL THEATRE EXPERIENCE OR SOMETHING A LITTLE EXPERIMENTAL?

Show me something avant-garde . . .

HOW TO ACHIEVE REDEMPTION AS A SCOT THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF T BRAVEHEART A personal account of grappling with ideas of independence and Scottishness by performer Rachael Clerke with ‘rousing speeches, bicycles dressed as horses [and] a woman dressed as Mel Gibson’.

Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 12), 4.10pm, £10–£11 (£9–10). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT Scottish and American mythologies are dismantled in this work-in-progress piece from National Theatre of Scotland and Brooklyn theatre group, the TEAM. Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 1–3 Aug, 9.30pm, £6.

THE PITILESS STORM Glaswegian actor and telly G regular David Hayman stars as a trade unionist facing a crisis of conscience on the eve of the Scottish referendum. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 12.30pm, £15 (£13).

Preview 31 Jul, £12 (£10).

I want to watch a theatrical legend at work

Undecided? Overwhelmed? Confused? Deciding which referendumthemed show to see at this year’s Fringe is a tough choice. Never fear, we’re here to offer a hand . . .

They belong in kids’ books, surely . . .

WHAT ABOUT BRAVEHEART PARODIES? I’m allergic to blue face paint.

And tartan. And bare bottoms

I love those guys, can’t think of better company

No thanks, serious drama is what I’m after

DO YOU PREFER YOUR POLITICS ACCOMPANIED

BY A HEAVY DOSE OF COMEDY?

INDIE CHART THE PU PURE, THE DEAD AND THE BRILLIANT Author, playwright and proud YES voice Alan Bissett ponders what would happen if Scotland’s mythical creatures were involved in the independence referendum. A satire with a few famous Scottish faces thrown into the mix. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 18), 2.30pm, £15 (£12).

Preview 31 Jul, £10.

ALL B BACK TO BOWIE’S Different guests each day offer some ‘gentle thought and hard daydreaming’ via a mix of politics, poetry and pop, all inspired by Bowie’s unexpected ‘Scotland, stay with us’ exclamation at this year’s Brits. Stand in the Square, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug, 12.20pm, £8 (£6).

Ripe for a send up, obviously

Rarely a drunken night goes by when I don’t quote one of Mel’s immortal lines. Which queue do I join?

He’s got a point...

ERICH MCELROY: THE BRITISH REFERENDUM Expect an outsider’s perspective on the big vote from this Expe American satirist (with Scottish roots) who’s exclaiming: ‘It’s not just about you, Scotland!’ Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 556 5375, 1–24 Aug (not 12), 6.55pm, £5–£10. Preview 31 Jul, £5.

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WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF BOWIE’S BRITS 2014 QUIP, ‘STAY WITH US, SCOTLAND’?

*Sigh* This is all too serious . . .

THE FREDERENDUM Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay offers an hour S of irreverent chatter for those looking for a break o ffrom all the serious discussion about independence.

Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 7.30pm, £15 (£13). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £7.50.

20 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Weird Venues | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

A BOXING GYM

A MOBILE PHONE SHOP

AN ICE RINK

A CARAVAN

An amateur boxing club in Craigmillar becomes the set for this site-specific, verbatim theatre piece based on interviews with Muslim female boxers. Featuring a live electronic score, it’s been devised in collaboration with its cast of four 16 to 19-year-olds.

■ No Guts, No Heart, No Glory, Sandy’s Boxing Gym, Craigmillar, 226 0000, 18–25 Aug, times vary, £12 (£6).

PhoneShop set a Channel 4 sitcom in a mobile phone store. Now this former branch of Phones 4U, on Princes Street, jumps on the retail space-based bandwagon, hosting a variety of stand-up, theatre, puppetry and more. There’s even a ukulele-inspired musical about Nando’s.

■ Various shows, Phones 4U, Princes Street, 226 0000, freestival.co.uk

Canadian figure skaters head to this decades-long epicentre of Edinburgh teen romance to perform acrobatic ice routines. After the show, debutants and show-offs alike are invited on to the ice for an allabilities dance party.

■ This is Contemporary Ice Skating, Murrayfield Ice Rink, 07532 181 402, 3–4, 9–11,13, 17, 20, 22 & 23 Aug, times vary, £15 (£13; £38 family ticket).

What better place to get up close and personal with two ‘John Waters grotesques’ than in a caravan with a maximum capacity of eight? Cuddle up and find out more about ‘an exceptionally close mother-daughter relationship’.

■ Barbara and Yogashwara’s Safe Space, theSpace on Niddry St, 510 2383, 6–20 Aug (not 10, 14, 18), 3pm, 5pm & 7pm, £8 (£6.50).

TOP 10:

A BEDROOM Consider being cornered under a duvet by someone the Met Police have described as ‘a domestic extremist’, and the NHS called ‘highly disturbed’. Twelve audience members will be marched to a bedroom in a secret location for just that.

■ Mental, Pleasance Pop-Up: The Bedroom, 556 6550, 7–24 Aug, (not 11–13, 18–20), 6.30pm, £10 (£8).

WEIRD VENUES From department stores to local bars, strange performance spaces are all part of the Fringe experience. Claire Sawers takes a look at some of this year’s non-traditional show settings

A FORMER BREWERY It’s famously impossible for some people to organise a piss-up in a brewery, but it turns out it is possible to stage a circus there. The gap site where McEwan’s Brewery once stood hosts this dance / music / acrobatics spectacle.

■ Bianco, NoFit State Big Top, Fountainbridge Brewery, 0333 222 9000, 1–25 Aug (not 4,11,18), times vary, £20 (£18). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, 8pm, £15.

PHOTO © STEPHEN C DICKSON (CC-BY 3.0)

A BEACH Beautiful Porty Beach stages a theatre performance. At sunrise and sunset for three consecutive days, singers and swimmers will assemble on the sand for ‘a poetic and captivating’ hour of soprano song, storytelling and staring wistfully out to sea.

■ Out of Water, Summerhall @ Portobello Beach, 226 0000, 8–10 Aug, 6.30am & 8.30pm, £10 (£8).

A SMALL ANIMAL HOSPITAL Dog vaccinations are swapped for ‘a 360° visceral, enveloping experience’. The Neutrinos use black-outs, music and sensory disorientation to explore extremes of performance in a small space.

■ KlangHaus, Small Animal Hospital, Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 5–24 Aug (not 11, 18), times vary, £12 (£10).

Previews 1-3 Aug, £6.

A RICKSHAW

A POLICE BOX

Audiences of just two are invited to hop in and sip some jasmine tea in the back of a rickshaw, while learning all about daily life in China, in this intimate piece from Beijingbased grassroots theatre company, Hua Dan. ■ Hand Made in China, The Rickshaw, Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 11–24 Aug, 15-minute timed slots from 1–3pm & 4–6pm, £3.

We can’t tell you exactly what’ll be happening in the police box yet – but it’s one of 43 venues used by the Free Fringe to stage their 504 gratis shows this year. They’ll be using other oddities too, including Italian restaurants, nightclubs and metal bars, along with a statue, which serves as the starting point for their ‘non ghost tour’.

■ freefringe.co.uk 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 23

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Festival

FOOD & DRINK

MAKING A SCENE With the start of the Festival season, food & drink editor Donald Reid rounds up Edinburgh’s most notable eating and drinking newcomers

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BACKYARD AT THE ROXY Serves of sauvingon blanc and flat whites at a New Zealandthemed garden bar at Assembly Roxy

HENDRICKS CARNIVAL OF KNOWLEDGE An eccentrically eclectic fourday (7–10 Aug) residency for the Ayrshire-based gin at 1 Royal Circus

BOXSMALL Festival Square hosts a food and craft market with its own picnic zone and Airpuddle bouncy art installation

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REAL FOODS | 37 Broughton Street | EH1 3JU & 8 Brougham Street | Tollcross | EH3 9JH | www.realfoods.co.uk 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 25

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Festival

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COMEDY

LIST.CO.UK /FESTIVAL

HITLIST THE BEST COMEDY EVENTS

✽

The Pin Alexander and Ben (no, not Armstrong and Miller) follow up last year’s scintillating sketch narrative with a looser hour of inspired daftness. See feature at list.co.uk/ festival. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 6pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

✽

Ivo Graham Posh spice proves that he’s still something of an Eton mess as he aims to deliver another corking Fringe hour. See preview, page 44. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 8.15pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

PHOTO © TONY BRIGGS

Adam Riches The 2011 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner returns for a full run of character-led and, brace yourself, audience-involving mayhem. See feature, page 28. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug, 9.45pm, £10–£14 (£8–£12).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

✽

ALAN DAVIES

Jovial jester reflects on childhoods past and present

A

lan Davies recently announced that his forthcoming Edinburgh gigs will contain no material whatsoever on the independence referendum. Unless people want to have a show of hands, that is. Given the right royal stooshie that occurred when he previously made some public comments about the Hillsborough disaster, Davies is more than wise to try and keep controversy to a minimum.

None of which is to say that he can’t be a challenging comedian. During the publicity rounds for Life is Pain, the 2012 set which marked his return to stand-up after a whole decade away, he discussed family tragedy and his time in therapy. But when it came to being back up on stage, he reverted to type as the jovial jester with a laddish streak and a

PHOTO © IDIL SUKAN/DRAW HQ

✽

twinkle in his eye.

As for Little Victories, his new touring show which alights upon the Conference Centre for four dates, he’ll be reflecting on his existence as a fortysomething dad of two young children, as well as going further back to his own childhood. There, he’ll dredge up recollections of a thoroughly memorable (though not for all the right reasons) school trip to Italy and the often extortionate price of tennis balls in the 1970s. And unless he happens to be popping by the EICC of an early August evening, at least there’ll be no Stephen Fry around to tell him off.

(Brian Donaldson) EICC, 0844 847 1639, 6–9 Aug, 9pm, £20 (£18).

One Man Breaking Bad Definitely a show for hardcore fans of Walt, Jesse, Saul and co as Miles Allen impersonates his way through all 62 episodes of the hit drama. See preview, page 46. Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, 1–11 Aug, 7pm, £15 (£12).

✽

Bridget Christie The current holder of the Edinburgh Comedy Award crown turns out be something of An Ungrateful Woman.

Purely for the purposes of pioneering comedy, though, you understand. See feature, page 14. The Stand, 558 7272, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 11.10am, £10 (£9).

✽ ✽

Alan Davies See preview, left. EICC, 0844 847 1639, 6–9 Aug, 9pm, £20 (£18).

What Does the Title Matter Anyway?

Clive and his gang bring their improv magic to the Fringe for the very first time with a revolving cast of all the adlibbing talents. See feature, page 34. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 6–19 Aug, 9pm, £16–£17.50 (£14.50–£16).

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 27

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‘How angry can you be in life if someone licking Yakult from your face is your trigger?’

28 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Adam Riches | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival

CROWD CONTROLLER With his first full show since winning the 2011 Edinburgh Comedy Award, Adam Riches is promising more heavy interaction and in-your-face audience participation. Brian Donaldson will be sitting in the back row

‘I

was too tall to be Tigger, and I couldn’t be Goofy, so I was a waiter.’ Adam Riches is recalling his time as a 19-year-old working at Disneyland Paris. This part of our story doesn’t have a happy-ever-after: Riches was fired for being a little bit too cheeky. ‘I hadn’t really worked out what I was going to do beyond that time but any kind of performance elements that I had just manifested themselves in me being a bit of a dick.

And so I was constantly messing around; my parents weren’t there, it was a foreign country, I was 19. It was an amazing place with amazing people coming from all over the world. They all hated each other but they all combined to hate me. Yeah, I got fired for being a bit of a douche.’

Adam Riches has pretty much got where he is today by continuing to be a douche. Or, more accurately, playing a series of douches on stage. From his first Fringe show in 2006, he has built a reputation as a fearless performer of sketch comedy with an unusually high level of audience participation.

His antics have featured Swingball and skateboards, while willing(ish) volunteers have thrown him across the stage (he was ‘being’ Daniel Day-Lewis at this point) and had a probiotic dairy product licked off their faces. This last pursuit got him into a right old pickle, when one

victim took exception to Riches’ advances in the guise of Victor Legit, an alpha male enforcer for the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT). ‘At a couple of late-night gigs in London, I’ve had a couple of blokes react really badly to it and one of them had me by the throat and up against a wall. Of course, I’m still Victor, so I can’t back down from that. But really, how angry can you be in life if someone licking Yakult from your face is your trigger?’

Victor was a staple character in those early Fringe shows, but his creator cast him asunder for Bring Me the Head of Adam Riches, an hour which earned him the Edinburgh Comedy Award. ‘I cut him from the 2011 show because the spirit of that one was chaos and smiles.

Even in the disgusting or pushier bits, all the characters are very much with you in doing it, whereas with Victor, I take one step back from the audience.’

The good news for Victor Legit fans is that he is back this year for Adam of the Riches, albeit older if not exactly wiser. ‘He has to have moved on a bit but I also have to introduce him again because most people won’t have seen him. I think there might be a physical change which will hopefully negate the aggressiveness and highlight his stupidity.’

Of course, with such a high level of in-your-face physicality going on within the room, there’s always a risk that things might go awry; and not just with the testosterone-fuelled reaction of some touchy punters.

Riches earned himself a place in Fringe folklore with his 2008 show, when a tussle with a seemingly genuine member of the audience (it was a set-up involving his actor brother) went horribly wrong, and Riches was left in agony on the floor while an ambulance was called.

➸

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 29

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Adam Riches & Andy de la Tour PHOTO © GERAINT LEWIS

TOUR OF DUTY As one of alternative comedy’s forerunners, Andy de la Tour decided to quit stand-up in 1990. He tells Marissa Burgess why he’s back in the game

PHOTO © STEVE ULLATHORNE

Given the nature of his show, some audience members believed this was merely an extension of his performance. When he left on a stretcher never to return, it was clear then that it wasn’t just the fourth wall that had been broken: his leg had snapped, though he did bravely return a few days later to perform bits of the show from a wheelchair.

Riches has a fairly strong notion of where his thick skin has come from. For a period during his childhood, the family relocated to Glasgow where his dad ran a Berni Inn on Sauchiehall Street. ‘This was the late 70s, a time when Scotland-England rivalry was especially high. And I have all these stories of my dad being this Sassenach trying to win over the locals. And he was successful. My dad was extremely charming and genial, a very old-fashioned restaurant manager. It was like GoodFellas, where everything is laid on and he made everyone feel very special.’

Every time Riches prepares to take to the stage, he sees himself as the outsider about to confront a possibly hostile home crowd. ‘It’s the same thing, this idea of going into a foreign environment and trying to win them over with charm. That aspect of my dad is something I’ve tried to bring into the comedy so if I am going to use someone, then it should be a positive experience for them, albeit that they’re going to have to pay the ferryman along the way. But we don’t want them to suffer, we want them to come through it and succeed.’

The irony of all this is that, as an audience member, Riches is absolutely terrified of any kind of participation. ‘I always sit in the middle of the back row so that I won’t get involved. It would be my worst nightmare. I’m good in a costume and with a script; I’m not good on my own in my own clothes.’

For Riches, audience participation for the sake of it or to get the performer out of a hole is never a good enough reason to do it. ‘It has to spring from the character or the scene, and come from a place of truth; otherwise it’s just a tacked-on gimmick. No one wants to see Passage to India in 3D; it’s not really using the medium for what it was intended.

You want it to feel right.’

Hopefully that rationale will act as some kind of consolation if you do find yourself being dragged up during an Adam Riches show. And despite the sudden appearance of the emergency services at a previous gig, take solace that there is never usually any lasting damage inflicted on a member of the audience.

‘As far as I know, no one has hurt themselves on my stage; maybe psychologically, but that’s the good kind of damage isn’t it, because we can’t see it?’ he mocks. ‘There was a bit in the last show where I was thrown and that caused me more pain than anything else. But when an audience can see me in that situation, I think it calms them down when you ask them to do something because they’ve seen me there. It’s like the old thing of the movie sex scene where the director will get naked as well: it’s that kind of mindset. I hope no one has been hurt, and with the new show, nothing could happen like that. But who knows, I may be so desperate for material that I might end up punching someone.’

Andy de la Tour hadn’t performed stand-up for 20 years when he started to feel its pull again. ‘If you don’t do stand-up, you can still get on with your life, but there’s something about it which you miss. It’s the buzz, the adrenaline, the rush. A little bit of the middle-aged feeling of not wanting to just end my life in dressing gown and carpet slippers,’ he laughs.

Back in the early 80s, de la Tour was one of the original comedians on the alternative scene playing the Comedy Store with the likes of Alexei Sayle, Ade Edmondson and the late Rik Mayall, but in 1990 he left stand-up behind. Then, four years ago, he suddenly decided to try his hand on the New York live scene. ‘I didn’t want to do it in Britain for all sorts of reasons so I thought, “I’ll do it in New York!” It was a mad idea. So without any planning or knowing anything about the scene I just took off to New York with my partner. It turned into a great adventure.’

After returning to the UK, he performed a run at London’s Soho Theatre telling his New York tale and is now bringing the show to Edinburgh, performing here for the first time since 1984. ‘I never thought in a month of Sundays that I would ever go back to the Edinburgh Festival as a stand-up comic. It still feels a little bit strange – a bit scary as well.’

■ Andy de la Tour: Stand-Up or Die in New York, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 1–25 Aug (not 12), 5pm, £11.50– £12.50 (£10.50–£11.50). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £5.

➸

■ Adam of the Riches, Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug,

9.45pm, £10–£14 (£8–£12). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

30 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | European Comedy

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE PACO ERHARD

Paco Erhard’s return to the Fringe balances irreverent, provocative social satire with more personal insight, such as his formative decision to hitchhike out of Germany – ‘the most pivotal hours of my life; intense fear, hope, doubts and dreams’.

Ultimately leading to this globetrotting comedian’s lifestyle, he began his stand-up career performing in English for tourists in Tenerife. Indeed, Erhard only tried stand-up in Germany for the first time a year ago, surprising himself with ‘how difficult I found comedy in my own language!’

Complementing his more Teutonic traits – ‘a crippling but sometimes helpful perfectionism and deep sentimentality’ – Britain has made his sense of humour ‘anarchic, more fearless, unrestrained, irreverent. And almost excessively polite in real life.’

His show title derives from a Berlin gig which, ‘as they politely say in English, “I ripped the shit out of”. People at two tables got up and walked out.

One lady shouted something to the effect that I was “the worst German ever”. Which I thought was funny. Because, let’s just say, historically I do have competition.’

■ Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever, Cowgatehead, 226 0000, 2–25 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 8.45pm, free.

Preview 1 Aug, free.

IGOR MEERSON

As one of the first Russians performing stand-up, Igor Meerson elaborates on the difficulties of introducing the new art form at home. ‘If a man stands on stage and says, “Hello, my name is Peter. My wife left me because I’m an alcoholic and yesterday I drank all her perfume,” in Russia, no one will know that you are joking. They see a person with a problem and are ready to help, to advise. To drink with you.’

The St Petersburg native’s self-deprecating show explores ‘cultural differences and features stories of my crazy personal experiences. The second is usually a result of the first.’ Unlike Western audiences, who ‘laugh, not only at well-written jokes but interesting observations and ideas’, Russian crowds are tougher he suggests, because jokes are paramount.

‘Everybody in Russia considers themselves to have interesting observations,’ he explains. ‘They are unforgiving, which helps to make your brain work harder.’ At his first UK spots last year, he was both surprised and pleased: ‘British audiences are so open and will sometimes react a couple of times when you’re still on your way to the punchline.’

■ Igor Meerson: Hou I Lernt Inglish, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 8.30pm, £8–£10.50 (£7–£9.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

FRANCESCO DE CARLO

By the close of the festival, the ‘expressive, surreal and slightly Mediterranean’ Francesco De Carlo aims to ‘lose my tan, improve my English and inflate my belly with your beer’. As part of a group of comedians who’ve brought stand-up to Comedy Central in Italy and established a touring circuit there, he’s content performing in the ad hoc space of the Pleasance. ‘In Italy, we do stand-up in random places because we don’t have clubs,’ he laments. ‘In the beginning I did shows in restaurants while people were eating. I often felt a little unwanted!’

Restricting his allusions to Silvio Berlusconi (‘there’s only three or four jokes about him in the show, I promise!’), De Carlo has nevertheless found it ‘impossible not to touch on Italian vices. However, 90% of the show is about politics, society, religion, sex, drugs, alcohol and other universal subjects.’

He admits that comedy in a second language is hard, but harder still is answering questions from inane journalists who confuse him with London mob boss Francesco Di Carlo. ‘You got me! I just want to start a brand new life. I’m totally knackered right now. And I don’t even know what “knackered” means.’

■ Francesco De Carlo: Italians Do it Later, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 10.50pm, £8–£10.50 (£7–£9.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

32 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Andrew Doyle | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival

This year’s Fringe programme features a raft of comics from all over the world. Jay Richardson profiles five intriguing talents from this very continent

YACINE BELHOUSSE

Lately supporting Eddie Izzard on tour, Parisian comic Yacine Belhousse specialises in ‘surreal stand-up based on everyday life. I start with a simple idea and digress. I’ll always tell a story and sometimes play with dialogue or characters, like say, a chicken, or weirder things like a living purple puddle from outer space.’

After learning English from movies and music, he absorbed the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle and Futurama: ‘but my major inspiration comes from Monty Python. And of course, Eddie Izzard as far as stand-up is concerned’.

Sharing his ‘English-speaking adventure’, Belhousse will also be challenging a few myths about his home city ‘without all the romantic clichés. And about my school, cheeseburgers, butterflies and dragons’.

Rather brilliantly, this self-confessed geek also has his own computer game, where players must move from writing a show to performing it. In between, they must attract a crowd in Pigalle, Paris’ notorious red light district. ‘You have to find them while avoiding the sex-shop owner who steals your audience, and the junkies who make them run away,’ he relates with Gallic insouciance.

■ Yacine Belhousse: Made in France, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 17), 9.30pm, £8–£10.50 (£7–£9.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

TOBIAS PERSSON

In vitro fertilisation might seem like a cold, clinical and invasive subject for stand-up. But as Tobias Persson explains, his show is about ‘the basic human struggle to achieve a goal. Discussing life, death, money, love, marriage etc. Though I might have the inevitable knob gag.’

Resisting any urge to ‘write a soppy American “cliffhanger” show where I cry at the end’, the Swede is pleased to acknowledge that he is the father of twins. ‘Playing the UK once a month is way too little for me. As I’m established in Sweden and get some nice TV and radio work, I just can’t say no and drop it all for a ten-minute spot in Middlesbrough. I did that for five years anyway.’ All the same, he’s really acclimatised since making his British debut in 2009.

‘I would be happy to live in a cellar in Camden and just do the UK clubs forever for a plate of chips.’

Religion, as ever, is a preoccupation. ‘At the time we started with IVF, I became interested in Darwin, Hitchens and atheism. Looking back I find it weird that I was so into evolution and accepting nature, while at the same time, my wife and I were desperately trying to create life in a lab!’

■ Tobias Persson: One Thing Led to a Mother, The Stand V, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 10.30pm, £8 (£7). Preview 30 Jul, £7 (£6).

ZERO GROUND

Julian Hall chats to Roxette fan Andrew Doyle about some of his least favourite things

Returning to the Fringe this year, actor, writer and comedian Andrew Doyle will wear two hats. The former teacher brings his stand-up show, Zero Tolerance (his third solo hour), and Outings, a play based on real-life LGBT coming-out stories.

‘The festival’s a bit of a marathon and I’ve never done two shows at the Fringe, so I intend to take things easy: I’ll only be drinking white wine, which is healthiest of all the toxins.’

When it comes to juggling the disciplines, Doyle professes that switching from one to the other is not too taxing: ‘Stand-up’s just another form of theatre, really. The major difference is that people tend to forget that you’re playing a character, and in stand-up people sometimes shout at the performer, which isn’t something you see often at the theatre. Try heckling during King Lear and see what happens.’

Doyle’s stand-up show this year is all about intolerance and, in particular, exploring the views of those he doesn’t agree with to give them a fair hearing. ‘I think it’s always useful to consider the alternative view. Those on the left have a tendency to dismiss those on the right as evil or selfish, rather than engaging with the arguments. It’s a major failing, and it partly explains UKIP’s recent success in the European elections. That said, I don’t think I could ever vote Tory or UKIP. I’m quite set in my ways. I prefer actual books to a Kindle.

I’ve got a Hotmail account. I still listen to Roxette. It would take a lot to change me.’

As you can probably tell, it’s not just lofty subjects that get the Zero Tolerance treatment, with Doyle admitting that among his own personal intolerances are ‘sentimentality, bad grammar, sunburn, the use of the acronym LOL, Christmas, Richard Littlejohn, tealights, crème de menthe.

Oh, and the Isle of Wight. I just find it so unnecessary.’

■ Andrew Doyle: Zero Tolerance, The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 9.20pm, £8 (£7). Preview 30 Jul, £7 (£6).

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 33

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Clive Anderson

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IMPROV YOUR LIFE As the stage version of iconic improv TV show Whose Line is it Anyway? debuts in Edinburgh, some rising stars of the adlibbing scene chuck questions at its cheeky host, Clive Anderson

34 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Julâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;7 Aug 2014

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Clive Anderson | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival

PHOTO © STEVEN

PHOTO © JOHN CAIRNS

ULLATHORNE

Racing Minds The Showstoppers

DAVID ALLISON As an ex-lawyer, you will appreciate that what appears as a witty adlib may actually be the result of anticipating the responses of ‘witnesses’ or improv participants: is this cheating?

Clive If you are cross-examining a witness or interviewing a guest, it is sensible to think what they may answer so you are ready with a follow-up question if necessary. Or a joke. The same could be true to a lesser extent in improv. I wouldn’t call it cheating.

■ This Is Your Trial, Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–23 Aug (not 3 & 4, 10 & 11, 17 & 18), 11.20pm, £8.50–£10.50. Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

JOE, AUSTENTATIOUS How do I tell [fellow performer] Rachel about my romantic feelings for her without upsetting the dynamic of the group?

Clive You are bound to upset the dynamic of the group – for good or ill – by telling Rachel about your romantic feelings for her. But the vital question is whether your possible relationship with Rachel is more important to you than the group dynamic or not. I can’t answer that for you. Good luck.

■ Austentatious, Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 12), 1.40pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

BATTLEACTS If you could remove one thing from the world of improv what would it be?

Clive The three Rs: repetition, repetition, repetition.

■ BattleActs, Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 622 6801, 2–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 10pm, free.

JOHN HASTINGS McEwan Hall is taken over by 800 schoolchildren who want to fight you. You have to distract them with an improv game: which one would you choose?

Clive ‘Stand, Sit, Lie Down’. Starting with everybody, including the audience, lying down for five minutes.

■ John Hastings: Anything Can Be a Podcast! Podcast!, Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 622 6801, 31 Jul–24 Aug, 5.15pm, free

BARON STERNLOCK In long-form improv, how important is it to be funny in comparison to creating a satisfying storyline?

Clive As with everything in life, it is important to keep a balance. On a TV or radio programme you want to keep the jokes coming thick and fast, or the audience will switch off or turn over. In a longer form of improv, in the theatre say, you can take your time to develop a scenario but you hope to build to something satisfying to justify the time taken. But a joke or two along the way also helps.

■ Baron Sternlock, Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 220 5911, 31 Jul–25 Aug (not 18), 1.35pm, £6.50 (£5).

THE IMPROVERTS What, for you, has been the most inventive use of an audience suggestion?

Clive In an early radio recording episode of Whose Line is it Anyway?, a member of the audience suggested I should be a chat show host. I have built a career on that.

■ The Improverts, Bedlam Theatre, 629 0430, 4–23 Aug, 12.30am, £7.50 (£6.50). Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £7.50 (£6.50).

BLIND MIRTH What’s the least expected way improv has helped you in real life?

Clive It allowed me to appear on radio and television.

■ Blind Mirth, theSpace on the Mile, 510 2382, 11–23 Aug (not 17), 10.05pm, £6.

THE CLEEK What are you most looking forward to about reforming the show for Edinburgh?

Clive I love the excitement of appearing in front of a live audience and working with a bunch of quick-witted performers.

■ The Cleek, Mash House, 226 0000, 6–24 Aug (not 11 & 12, 18 & 19), 2.20pm, free.

RACING MINDS Who would be in your improv dream team?

Clive Greg Proops, Steve Frost, Josie Lawrence and Angela Merkel.

■ Racing Minds, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug, 11.45am, £7–£9 (£6–£8). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

THE SHOWSTOPPERS Do you ever get the urge to join in or do you prefer sitting behind the desk?

Clive Opinion is divided on this. I have occasionally joined in with improv games and I think I have been fine. Everyone else thought I was better behind the desk.

■ The Showstoppers, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 1–24 Aug (not 21), various times, £14–£15 (£12–£14). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, 10.30pm, £10.

What Does the Title Matter Anyway?, Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 6–19 Aug, 9pm, £16–£17.50 (£14.50–£16).

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 35

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38 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Jessie Cave & Emer Kenny | FESTIVA FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival

YOU NEED A FRIEND

Comedy buddies Jessie Cave and Emer Kenny are tackling various things with their Fringe team-up including notions of friendship in this crazy, tech-heavy modern age. We paged them some questions on the subject and they faxed answers back Can you tell us a little bit about your earliest best friend and whatever became of them?

Jessie: My first best friend was Suzie who I met

at secondary school when I was 11 and I found her incredibly funny. We were losers together.

Emer: My brother Liam and my sisters Viv and Beth. Although I would often fall out with my sisters about which member of Destiny’s Child we were. I AM NOT MICHELLE.

A mum can never be a daughter’s best friend: true or false?

Jessie: My mum is without a doubt my best

friend. True.

Emer: That is a ridiculous statement. I tell my mum everything. Even things she doesn’t want to know.

If you could be friends with one very famous person (preferably real and alive), who would it be and why?

Jessie: I would like to be friends with Roseanne

Barr. I am in awe of her and grew up watching

Roseanne with my mum.

Emer: Lisa Snowdon. I just want to know if George Clooney is gay or not.

If you could be friends with a fictional character, who would it be and why?

Jessie: Alex from The Secret World of Alex Mack

so she could move stuff with her mind for me.

Emer: Moesha. My mum wouldn’t let me watch it when I was younger because she talked about sex (with Usher) so I’d like to catch up on everything I missed.

Have you ever had to tell someone to their face that your friendship was at an end?

Jessie: Face to face!?!?!?! I live my life via text

and emoticons, so no.

Emer: No, but once I accidentally pushed a famous singer over in a club and she said we would never be friends.

Friends Reunited or Friendface?

Jessie: I don’t know any of these things, sorry

again.

Emer: I don’t have anyone to be reunited with.

My whole reception class is on Facebook.

Who was your least favourite character in Friends and why?

Jessie: Joey, but now I love him in Episodes

strangely.

Emer: Monica, because everyone said I was like her. I AM NOT LIKE MONICA.

What symbolises true friendship?

Jessie: A series of ambiguous emoticons for no

reason.

Emer: Being able to cry in front of them for no reason. Or emoticons.

Jessie Cave & Emer Kenny: Grawlix, Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 477 7007, 31 Jul–25 Aug, noon, free.

Unfortunately Emer has had to cancel, but Jessie will continue the show as advertised.

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Lucy Beaumont

TWERKING CLASS HERO Inspired by cleaning ladies and Johnny Vegas, Lucy Beaumont is all set for proper stardom. The Hull stand-up tells Suzanne Black that she’s hoping to give something back one day

O

n the cusp of her debut Fringe show, Lucy Beaumont is not one to follow traditional paths. Two years ago, struggling to find acting work, she ended up as a cleaner at the same university where she’d studied drama. The ability of her co-workers to tell jokes about any subject provided inspiration for an unexpected new career: stand-up comedy. ‘They were really good women; really good, banter-wise. They were all women I was working with but you might as well have been on a building site. They were really funny, really fast. And I started to think then that I’d like to do comedy.’

Once Beaumont took the plunge, she started gigging every night.

Having only turned professional in December 2012, she ascended quickly through the ranks, finding time to win the BBC New Comedy Award and Chortle’s Best Newcomer, create and star in the BBC Radio 2 sitcom pilot To Hull and Back with Maureen Lipman, have her very own Radio 4 special and appear as a panellist on various radio shows.

Now she’s ready to take it to the next level with a solo Edinburgh hour.

‘I thought about doing it last year but I wasn’t ready. I think I am ready now. It’s a culmination of all the comedy I’ve been doing for the last two years and I’ve put it together with a lot of new stuff so it feels like I’m at the right place to showcase how far I’ve come.’

Johnny Vegas, who has been something of a mentor since working with Beaumont on that Radio 4 special, was instrumental in getting her to that place. ‘He’s definitely one of the best stand-ups we’ve ever produced,’ she says. ‘It’s been a lasting working partnership. What you forget about him is how highly intelligent he is. He can do everything. Obviously he’s great at comedy but he can act, direct, write and he even gave me a good quote for the poster [“She’s got the timing of Les Dawson”]. He bigged me up and you need someone like that. After the stand-up show I did last year with him in Hull, I became famous there overnight because they realised that Johnny Vegas was with me. It sometimes takes someone like that for people to think “oh, she must be good then if he’s bothered about her”.’

That one-hour special was set in a working men’s club and she also describes her Fringe show, We Can Twerk it Out, as having ‘a bit of a working men’s club feel to it’, which may owe something to the funny and bold women she met while cleaning, but goes back much further.

Talking about her influences she reveals: ‘I was brought up on all the old sitcoms. My mum used to watch them so much: Steptoe and Son, In Sickness and in Health, Only Fools and Horses. We had videos in the house of all the old comedians. There was a show called The Comedians in the 70s and I used to watch that on video. It was really old-fashioned humour.’

With a broad Hull accent and peppering her speech with ‘you knows’ and ‘summats’, there’s no mistaking Beaumont’s regional origins. She recognises the specificity of her diction but doesn’t worry about getting lost in translation. ‘Everyone understands the concept of being a smalltown girl moving to a city. There are always one or two references that they won’t get but that don’t matter.’ This sense of community is important to her. Following the support she’s had, from Vegas among others, she plans to give back. ‘There are not enough mentors in the arts.

I don’t think there are enough mentors in all industries really. I’d like to hope that when I get to a certain stage in my career that I will be able to help other people and take them under my wing.’

Beaumont’s other formative comedy experience also went against the grain. ‘As a kid at school, I was mad on Eddie Izzard. I was crazy about him before I even knew what stand-up was. None of my friends liked it. None of my friends got it.’ Taking an unusual path yet again, despite enjoying watching comedy on television, Beaumont admits: ‘I never actually went to see live comedy until I was doing live comedy. I’d never been to a stand-up show before I started doing it and, to be truthful, I’ve only been to one or two. I couldn’t think of anything worse. I shouldn’t say that because you should support people but I don’t go to many. I want to go to more. I keep saying I will. But when you’re working in it, you don’t want to do it on your night off.’

Even though she grew up thinking that comedy was ‘really weird’ and something she never thought she’d be doing, Beaumont’s trajectory from watching Izzard’s Glorious every Saturday morning through studying performance to gigging practically every night seems almost inevitable in retrospect. While the stage she has found herself on now has more in common with a working men’s club than Hollywood backlot, it somehow all makes sense.

Lucy Beaumont: We Can Twerk it Out, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 12), 5.45pm, £8.50–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

40 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Tom Shillue | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival

MISSION POSSIBLE ‘I’d never been to a stand-up show before I started doing it’

Endorsed by Daniel Kitson, Tom Shillue is a little bit afraid of Edinburgh. Murray Robertson reckons if the American sticks to his plan, he’ll be just fine

Last year, comedian and storyteller Tom Shillue embarked on a project to record a dozen spoken-word albums over 12 months.

While many people assumed it was a short-lived gag, Shillue saw it through to the bitter end. ‘It was exhausting,’ he says.

‘The artistic part of it wasn’t that hard. It was just the busy work of getting it all done and kind of ignoring my family and other obligations.’

The benefit from all his hard graft is a mother lode of material for his Fringe debut. ‘What I’m trying to do for this show is take a little best-of from those stories and weave them together and try to make a bigger tale. But basically all my stories are the same thing: stories about my life, either stories from the past, about growing up in New England, or stories from my present life here in New York, and I try to use them to figure out bigger points.’

Not only is Shillue a regular on the New York comedy club scene, he supports Jim Gaffigan on tour across the world and has a regular spot as part of Jimmy Fallon’s barbershop quartet.

Very much in demand in the States, his appearance here is thanks to Daniel Kitson who couldn’t believe he hadn’t played the UK. Shillue sees the Fringe as a chance to try out his material on a European audience. He also views it as a real challenge.

‘Yes, it’s huge and I am a little bit scared,’ he admits. ‘I want people to like me, that’s my main thing. When I’ve been overseas so far, it’s been opening for Jim Gaffigan in these big theatres.

So people come out to see him, they take a gamble on me and they’re usually nice. But this is all on me.’

■ Tom Shillue: Impossible, Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 9pm, £10 (£9). Preview 30 Jul, £9 (£8).

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Come Heckle Christ

ON THE OFFENSIVE Want to be provoked? Head along to one of these shows which wear their controversy proudly

CHRIST KNOWS Josh Ladgrove straps himself to a cross every night before fielding all kinds of questions. Jay Richardson wonders if this Australian satirist could be the Fringe’s saviour

O

f all the returning acts at this year’s Fringe, Jesus Christ might appear the most unlikely. Of course, Come Heckle Christ doesn’t feature the real Jesus any more than Jim Davidson: No Further Action is the work of the devil. Australian comedian Josh Ladgrove certainly has the ideal hair and beard for renaissance portraits of the Messiah but even he couldn’t have foreseen the howls of blasphemy and outrage the show incited earlier this year.

After playing without incident at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, a court case and bomb threats accompanied its arrival in Adelaide. Ladgrove insists these were blown out of proportion and that he hired security only as a precaution, reasoning that ‘if you’re challenging someone’s deep belief, you’re going to piss a few people off along the way.

I had to be comfortable with that, so I took the high road. I wasn’t mean, I didn’t treat them like idiots. What I was doing was artistic. Or at least it was just for fun, a parody.’

Hanging on a cardboard cross every night ‘physically hurts’ and improvising responses for an hour is ‘incredibly mentally taxing. But most people just take to it. Even if it’s not the funniest thing they’ve seen that night, it’s so different to your conventional comedy show and the participatory nature of it really excites them.’ He doubts the hour is going to provoke as much controversy in Edinburgh, where he’s also appearing as his character Dr Professor Neal Provenza. He’s hoping for decent word-ofmouth: ‘people telling their friends “you can yell shit at Jesus!” But that’s in the lap of the gods.

Lord knows, I’ve tried and failed in the past with shows to contrive coverage.’

Occasionally while on the cross, someone will ask him a theological or philosophical poser.

And once or twice he’s been thrown by someone telling him their uncle died of cancer, forcing him to break character, ‘essentially myself with a softer voice and calm demeanour. I’ve had to apologise and remind them that I’m just playing Jesus, which has led to some nice moments with the audience.’

Nevertheless, he’s now that little bit better prepared for such difficulties. ‘Although it can be cathartic for the audience, most things I get are fairly secular, ranging from flippant things like asking me who my favourite character is in Star Wars or Game of Thrones to “what were you doing for those three days?” Or “what do you think of gay marriage?” Or “why do you let kids die in Africa?”’

Intriguingly, although Ladgrove does his best to make it as funny as he can, he’s essentially passive.

‘It’s more about the audience who self-censor as an organism; it’s fantastic to watch. They tacitly decide what’s acceptable amongst themselves.’

He envisages performing a variation of Come Heckle Christ in the future as much-derided Australian treasurer Joe Hockey, but he reflects that there’s still plenty of life in the original.

‘There’s still a sense of reverence. When I’m on the crucifix in the gown and the smoke machine comes on, it does feel strangely ethereal. I don’t feel like I have creative licence to shout back “shut up you dickhead!” The odd barb aside, I’m quite soft and take most of it.’

Come Heckle Christ, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 10.20pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£8). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

In the maze that is the Edinburgh Fringe, sometimes the best plan for an act is to simply think up a controversial title in order to sell tickets. Gavin Webster clearly couldn’t come up with one, so the popular Geordie comic brings us, quite literally, A Controversial Title in Order to Sell Tickets (The Stand III & IV, 31 Jul–24 Aug, 5.50pm).

Other shows have certainly gone for the Daily Mail’s jugular (assuming that paper knows the Fringe or Edinburgh actually exist) with Dangerfield: Sex with Children (The Hive, 4–23 Aug, 9pm) a sure-fire headline-maker while Josh Howie should invoke intrigue and outrage with AIDS: A Survivor’s Story (Canons’ Gait, 2–23 Aug, 2.25pm).

Scottish comics Viv Gee and John Scott offer the wonderfully profane Anything’s Better Than These Cunts (Beehive Inn, 3–21 Aug, 5.10pm) while Kitten Killers (Underbelly, Bristo Square, 30 Jul–25 Aug, 2.45pm) almost doesn’t bear thinking about. And Foul Play: The Fucking Nasty Show (Pleasance Dome, 1–23 Aug, 11pm) is Comedy 4 Kids in reverse as stand-ups are invited to spill their spleens with the most hardcore material they possess in their armoury.

■ Full show details at list.co.uk/festival.

42 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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list.co.uk/festival

TALL TALES

Camilla Cleese | FESTIVAL COMEDY

Camilla Cleese might have a famous father but she’s not letting that get in the way of her standup career. She tells Marissa Burgess that if you don’t find her funny, you can always blame dad

I

t’s a brave move going into comedy when your dad is John Cleese, but if you’re currently thinking that the offspring of celebrities get an unfair break because of their bloodline, you can forget that now.

Camilla Cleese has the goods to back it up: she’s damn funny and, what’s more, thoroughly charming and modest about her talents.

Cleese is in LA for our Skype chat, and despite it being 3am over there, it all looks cosy as she sits in her apartment, sipping water while her big fluffy cat wanders by. Cleese is pondering her debut at the Fringe.

Rather than being heralded by trumpets to perform a full hour, she’s cautiously dipping a toe in to play a week as one act in a three-comic show, American . . . ish, with Sarah Tiana and Cort McCown.

‘Edinburgh is amazing: I was so excited when I got the opportunity to do it but I know I’m not ready to do an hour yet. I’ve written and performed comedy for a long time but stand-up is newer for me and I don’t want to go in and try something that I’m not ready to do, especially because I feel I will be subject to a little more scrutiny than your average act. Unfortunately, there’s always going to be some people that love to hate children of celebrities especially those who have followed in their footsteps. It’s understandable but it makes it a little harder.’

Some of the aforementioned comedy that she had written prior to the stand-up was with her father, so she’s had some first class training over the years. ‘I’m incredibly lucky to have him as a personal tutor most of the time because I learned so much sitting and listening to him at work as a kid. I started writing a little bit with him: he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. I would just show up and give my unsolicited opinion. I started writing my way into projects because I found that’s a great way to get cast: six-foot blonde, slightly resembles John Cleese but not that much, thank God,’ she laughs. ‘Maybe don’t put that in. I’m trying not to get disowned before I get over there.’

Rather than follow her father into sketches, Cleese decided to try stand-up. ‘It was a good way to establish a separate entity from my dad and get some credibility. I felt like anything we wrote together people would assume that he did most of the writing and I made most of the coffee. I think stand-up’s the one thing where you have to do it all by yourself, there’s no shortcut. You can’t become an overnight success.’

Sarah Tiana, one of her American . . . ish co-stars, was also an influence. ‘She’s one of the big reasons that I started doing stand-up; she inspired me because it was the first time I’d seen a female comic who I felt I could really relate to. Then she was like, “you should do it, you’re funny”.’

What Cleese has developed is a deliciously mischievous, dark sense of humour which, in part, is inherited from her dad. ‘We tend to find dark things as funny as each other, which is not always good because some people don’t always agree. If you think it’s funny, then I just came up with it all on my own. If you find it offensive, it’s completely his fault,’ she jokes. But Cleese has certainly made that black humour her own, such as a routine about short-men syndrome which is teasingly wicked with a hefty dollop of the absurd.

Beyond the Fringe, there are plenty of other projects on the go, aside from her own writing efforts. ‘It’s been so manic this past week as we’re pitching a show to networks. Then I’m shooting a movie later this year that I play a lead in. A friend of mine wrote it and it’s five female leads who are all friends. I think it’ll be really fun.’ And on that note we really should let her head for bed.

‘I’ll be subject to more scrutiny than your average act’

American . . . ish, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 6–13 Aug, 8.15pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

L-R Camilla Cleese, Sarah Tiana, Cort McCown 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 43

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Previews

IVO GRAHAM

Posh and spicy chat from a comedy prodigy

TOP 5:

SHOWS ABOUT DEATH Comedy to make you mourn

Jim Davidson’s Funeral Having faked a fight to get publicity last year, Ellis & Rose (pictured) walked off with the Malcolm Hardee Award for their spirited endeavours. This year, they’re dancing on the Fringe’s grave by hosting a night of various japes in a sortof protest about a certain old-school comic performing for a month (clue is in the title).

The Hive, 226 0000, 12 Aug, 8.45pm, free.

Sarah Bennetto’s Funeral This should be a slightly less chaotic and generally more lovely kind-of wake as the Australian storyteller / comic looks back on her own life. Flowers are welcome. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 4–25 Aug (not 9 & 10, 16 & 17, 23 & 24), 10pm, £9–£11 (£7–£9).

Tony Law Renowned for his circuitous ramblings, we wonder if Mr Canada will be able to stick to the programme, which involves ‘the fear of death’. It’s time to Enter the Tone Zone, so it is. The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 12.10pm, £11 (£8). Preview 30 Jul, £9 (£8).

Robin & Partridge This pair might be familiar to those of you who attend things like Glastonbury and Bestival, and their hour is entitled Robin Dies at the End of the Show. Which may or may not be good news for Partridge. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 18), 2.15pm, £9–£11 (£7–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

Lost Voice Guy Last Fringe, Lee Ridley aka Lost Voice Guy had a memorable time. Memorable in that he was rushed to hospital and nearly died from pneumonia.

Laughter is the Worst Medicine tells us that story. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 5pm, £10 (£9).

Preview 30 Jul, £9 (£8). (Brian Donaldson)

Show titles Ivo Graham has reluctantly rejected include Privately Educated, Sexually Active and the brilliant Eton Mess. His debut, Binoculars, traced the 23-year-old’s distinct lack of success with girls and was, according to his father, his ‘one chance to present the most innocent version of himself’ before he began complicating the picture.

This year’s follow-up, Bow Ties & Johnnies, is both comprehensive, as he celebrates his relationship with a woman, and decidedly public school with this ‘outed’ Old Etonian lifting the lid on his exclusive education.

Still, his new cocksure stage swagger is underscored with knowing self-awareness and his ready deprecation has never been cynical distortion. Those ‘little victories with girls as a teenager were such important, potent, nostalgic memories for me’, and yet his familiarity with the ‘young, male, socially awkward comic cliché’ meant Binoculars was timelagged, a ‘slight betrayal’ of the fact that he’s now ‘a socially competent person’.

Although a late bloomer with women, Graham was undoubtedly a comedy prodigy. Youngest winner, at 19, of So You Think You’re Funny, he appeared as part of the Fringe’s prestigious Comedy Zone showcase before graduating from Oxford, fielding heckles like ‘fuck off you foetus!’. Deeply thoughtful about his vocation, he questions his ambition to perform relationship material, as a sort of comedic rite of passage, before he’d even had a relationship.

‘It’s pretentious to try and find it within yourself before you’re there as a person, let alone ready to talk about it as a comic,’ he admits. ‘I was doing comedy clubs with three acts a night, some talking about it insightfully, others a bit more “take my wife!”. Ultimately, you do end up in a genuine relationship with issues, thinking “oh God, I know about this from being a comedian!” Which is truly odd.’ (Jay Richardson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 8.15pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

STEPHEN K AMOS

Giving good chat and working in progress Stephen K Amos seems to have found his Fringe groove, annually playing to an appreciative crowd at the Stand with a show that he will tour later in the year and hosting a chat show at the Gilded Balloon.

Those separate events help him indulge his chief pursuits: both talking to and with people. ‘I think I’m a very good listener and I’m good in the moment and can run with stuff that happens,’ says Amos. ‘I’m not one of those cruel comics and I like to involve the audience in some way.’

For his work-in-progress hour, Welcome to My World, Amos will be tackling some big issues and looking to get his audience talking, but always keeping his eye on the joke in hand. ‘Even in this day and age, we still don’t like to talk about things such as race and sexuality or how much money you earn, all those awkward dinner party conversation fillers. There’s a certain weirdness that can spark up in those areas and that gives me a springboard to be awkward within the show and ask the audience the awkward, challenging questions. Ultimately, though, they’ve got to laugh.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 31 Jul–23 Aug (not 11 & 12, 18 & 19), 9.05pm, £10; Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 17–23 Aug, 4.30pm, £13–£14 (£11–£12).

44 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Previews | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival PHOTO © STEPHEN MURRAY

ANDREW MAXWELL

FOIL, ARMS & HOG

JASON COOK

The comic with arguably the Fringe’s ‘most quintessential Edinburgh name’ is grasping the thistle of Scottish independence, with his show title, Hubble Bubble – a misquote from Shakespeare’s Scots play – adding ‘an extra layer of bullshit’ that Andrew Maxwell relishes. In his 20th festival, he’s allowing all the local characters he’s introduced in recent years to ‘do the talking’, such as Leith Junkie, Scottish Jesus, Gay Keith and the Warrior, ‘who used to do a lot of leaping off the high board at the Commonwealth Pool and now collects shopping trollies’.

The London-based Irishman brings an interesting perspective. His great-grandfather left Edinburgh’s Cowgate slums with James Connolly to promote socialist revolution, but while the latter was executed for leading Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising, his Christian socialist friend rejected ‘blood sacrifice’.

‘When you unnecessarily put another arbitrary line in the sand of human beings, either side of the line ends up being ruled by the worst cunts,’ he ventures.

‘That’s what happened in Ireland. Nationalism is folly, it always ends in violence. There’s clearly only one type of humans on Earth: that’s humans. Borders and flags are just false nonsense.’ (Jay Richardson) ■ Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–12 Aug, 10.20pm, £15 (£13).

‘The group stuff’s so much better now, that it’s hard to go back to the other, lesser reaction,’ laughs Sean ‘Hog’ Flanagan as he dismisses a return to performing solo stand-up. A Dublin-based trio who met at their university drama club, Foil, Arms & Hog (completed by Sean ‘Foil’ Finegan and Conor ‘Arms’ McKenna) have been garnering acclaim as a sketch troupe with some smartly funny, slick skits.

Since forming, they’ve done some TV and radio writing, unleashed a prolific output on YouTube and have appeared at the last five Edinburgh Fringes.

This year’s show, Loch’d, promises more daftness.

‘We’ve got a sketch about an Irish intervention to a son who doesn’t drink,’ smiles McKenna.

‘And a Christian rock group called God Vibrations with a new member who’s just a little more extreme,’ notes Finegan. ‘And we’ve got our paper bag sketch: you put them on your head,’ relates Flanagan, before McKenna chips back in: ‘and flip them around to tell three different stories with nine separate characters.’

‘They make you look like a medieval soldier, or like a bandit and also like a horse,’ adds Flanagan.

Sounds nifty. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug, 10pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £7.

Between building a reputation on the live circuit and writing the BBC Two sitcom Hebburn, Jason Cook has become known for Fringe shows that not only deliver the laughs, but also a dose of heart. In previous years he has tackled such tragic topics as his father’s death and his own brush with mortality, garnering him high-star reviews.

This year’s hour, Broken, he tells us, is devoted to life’s relentless onslaught, and the difficulties of reconciling the good and the bad: ‘I’m sort of looking at how all the things that are happening to me at the minute, while wonderful, also have a negative effect and how I’m desperately trying to cope.’

He locates his success in a willingness to put his personal experiences on the line in order to make a real connection with the audience. ‘I just like telling stories,’ he says, ‘and the Fringe is the one place you can do that really honestly. I’ve never had to fake it so far.’ Lest the darkness overwhelm, the genial Geordie refuses to wallow in the pathos of his subject matter, instead tempering the sadness, he assures us, with ‘jokes: lots of jokes’.

(Suzanne Black) ■ Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 5.40pm, £8.50–£11.50 (£7–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

The Irish comic dips a toe into Scotland’s future

Daft sketches and a nifty set of characters

Geordie jester unafraid of the sad side

KATHERINE RYAN

Canadian comic on the choices we make Katherine Ryan has come a long way since making her Fringe debut in 2011. Having made a name for herself with 20-minute sets packed with song parodies and frank material about her own life and the celebrity landscape she viewed all around her, Ryan wondered how she would fill a full hour. She plumped for more tunes and even a guest appearance from her mum. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that critical opinion was divided.

‘Some of us maybe do our first Fringe hour too soon,’ recalls Ryan. ‘At that stage of my career I just didn’t have an hour, so I thought “I know what I’ll do, I’ll sing some crazy songs”.

A lot of comedians really liked that show but no one else did: “you’re so brave!” No, I was just mental.’ Now though, the London-based Canadian comic is far more at ease with what is required for a successful Fringe, and her new show, Glam Role Model, will tackle some harder hitting themes, albeit on the same broad territory of fame and female identity.

‘Back home we didn’t have glamour models; we had porno magazines and then we had mainstream actresses and presenters. Here, that line is so blurred and glamour models are put in such positions where they are sold as personalities but their entire personality is just about getting naked or being drunk in the Big Brother house. I was a product of the society that said women are for decoration and I do think girls should be able to do whatever they want. Yet, across the world there are girls who just can’t; some can’t even go to school in Nigeria without being abducted. Here, you actually have a choice to put your tits away. And, well, maybe you should.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ The Stand V, 558 7272, 1–10 Aug, 6.45pm, £10 (£8). Preview 31 Jul, £6 (£5).

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 45

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Previews PHOTO © JAY HYNES

PHOTO © NICHOLAI KORNUM

zazU

TOP 5:

SKETCH DEBUTS Five ‘broken comedy’ acts to watch

ONE MAN BREAKING BAD

Get high on a new supply of the hit TV drama zazU A foursome (with a silent fifth partner) who appear to have emerged from the bowels of NewsRevue. Josie Lawrence and Matt Berry like them. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 13), 3.40pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

Miles Allen is doing all the voices and I’m wondering how I’m going to write it down. ‘Yo, it’s kinda my thing, bitch,’ he says, with the back-of-the-throat stoner growl of Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman. Then he switches: ‘One of the characters I didn’t expect to like is Skyler,’ he says, adopting Anna Gunn’s voice of controlled panic. Now he’s doing the nasal slur of RJ Mitte’s Walter White Junior and we fall into a discussion about the ethics of imitating (or not imitating) someone with cerebral palsy.

If none of this means anything to you, then you haven’t worked your way through the five seasons and 62 episodes of Breaking Bad and will be innocent to the story of Walter White, the mild-mannered chemistry teacher who becomes the producer of the purest crystal meth in the state of New Mexico.

Allen’s 60-minute distillation (that’s an average of one episode every 58 seconds) began with a YouTube video in which he appeared as a homeless man, with thick beard and no shirt, doing Breaking Bad impressions for food. It clocked up more than a million hits and he realised he was onto something: ‘Why not condense the entire series into one hour when people are off their Breaking Bad meth fix? We can give them that high again.’

As if that was not ambitious enough, Allen also finds time in the show for pop-culture references to Family Guy, Pulp Fiction and The Lord of the Rings. ‘Imitation is the highest form of flattery,’ he says.

‘For me, One Man Breaking Bad was a huge love letter to the show. I’m glad I get to be a part of that experience of this beautiful nostalgia for it: you can come up and quote Jesse Pinkman’s “bitch” at me all you want.’ (Mark Fisher) ■ Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, 1–11 Aug, 7pm, £15 (£12); The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 13–24 Aug (not 19), times vary, £12.

Aunty Donna Not, in fact, a polite family lady, but a trio of quite-rude, variably hairy Aussie chaps called Broden, Zachary and Mark. That nation’s Herald Sun said they produced ‘uproarious, high-octane comedy’.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 1–25 Aug (not 11), 10pm, £10. Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £5.

Gein’s Family Giftshop Earlier this year, Manc threesome Gein’s Family Giftshop won Sketchfest, an award scooped in 2013 by the Pin. That seems to be enough of a recommendation right there. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 10.45pm, £7–£9 (£6–£8). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

TOM ALLEN

Returning bon vivant regales us on life and style

Massive Dad Not, in fact, a huge family gentleman, but a trio of funny young women.

A horse features in a number of their publicity pictures to date. We’re not too sure how significant that is. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 13), 6pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£8.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

(Brian Donaldson)

PHOTO © STEVEN ULLATHORNE

Harvey, Garvey and the Kane Harvey (who used to be one half of Toulson and Harvey) worked with Kane in sketch group Men of War. Garvey rhymes with Harvey and was a half-wolf dad in CBBC drama Wolfblood. He also shares his full name with an early 20th century Jamaican political leader. Confused? Don’t be: it’s just a sketch show. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 4.55pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

Erudite raconteur Tom Allen comes to Edinburgh fresh from supporting Sarah Millican on tour. ‘It’s an interesting experience to step out in front of 2000 people who haven’t come to see you and to convince them that you’re worth watching,’ he says.

Posh Allen and Geordie girl Millican may seem like a chalk and cheese pairing, but Allen isn’t much into surface perceptions, a theme which runs through his new show, Life / Style. ‘I think you can send yourself into spirals of depression if you worry too much about what people think. For me, the image you project is about being happy with yourself. And not holding back. And wearing bigger hats.’

Allen’s return to Edinburgh after three years away is one such opportunity not to hold back. ‘It’s hard work, it’s hugely challenging but ultimately it’s one of the few places where you can perfect your craft and you can do what you want creatively. I always find whenever I step off the train that it feels like home.

But apparently it’s changed since I was there: the trams actually move now?’ (Julian Hall) ■ The Stand V, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 4.15pm, £8 (£7). Preview 31 Jul, £7 (£6).

46 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Day Planner Needing laughs from high noon til midnight? Brian Donaldson helps map out your itinerary between the unsociably early and the fashionably late

11), 8pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £5.

Dan Clark Love, death and solitude are playing on DC’s mind. Me, My Selfie and I is the result of all that pondering.

Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 13), 8.20pm, £8.50–£12.50 (£7.50– £11.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

Mark Nelson Could this be the year one of our favourite Scottish stand-ups finally breaks out? That’s partly up to you lot. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 8.45pm, £10–£12.50 (£7.50–£10). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

NOON Rosie Wilby Reflecting on her 1990s studying in York and helping create a radical student mag: among her pals there was fellow future comic Zoe Lyons. Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 12.05pm, free.

Julia Sutherland Sadly, just the one date this Fringe from the stand-up described (hopefully by herself) as a ‘comedy strumpet’. The Stand, 558 7272, 5 Aug, 12.50pm, £10 (£9).

9PM Eddie Pepitone A couple of years back, Eddie hit the papers because a door-guy refused Hugh Grant entry to his show. This year, he’ll be making headlines for just being darn funny.

Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 9pm, £12–£14 (£10–£12).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

Tiff Stevenson An act who can pick out a reviewer at her gigs from around 20 paces, Tiff claims to be an Optimist this year. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–23 Aug, 9.15pm, £8.50–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

George Ryegold A welcome return to the stand-up stage for Toby Williams’ graphic medic character. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 9.40pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

1PM Liam Williams One of last year’s

emerging acts eschews the city centre for his new show, Capitalism. He’ll be worth the trek all the way out to Argyle Place, so tell your feet to stop moaning.

The Cellar Monkey, 221 9759, 31 Jul–25 Aug (not 11), 1.15pm, free.

Wishful Thinking: Jen Brister Is it possible to be politically active and find time to fit in a trip to IKEA? Just one of the dilemmas troubling Jen Brister.

Whistlebinkies, 226 0000, 1–24 Aug (not 12), 1.30pm, free.

2PM

10PM

Ruby Wax Is it possible to stay sane

in this mad old modern world? The Waxster isn’t too sure, but she’s doing a show to explore such things. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–7 Aug, 2.05pm, £15 (£12).

Eric and Little Ern One for true fans of Morecambe and Wise as this theatreycomic hit returns. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 1–25 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 2.40pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14).

Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £10.

3PM Mark Cooper-Jones One-third (formerly one-quarter when they were a foursome) of WitTank breaks out of that sketchy straitjacket to reflect on his days as a geography teacher. Globe Bar, 226 0000, 2–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 3pm, free.

Kieran Hodgson One-half (formerly one-third when they were a trio) of Kieran and Joe (for the record, they were Kieran and the Joes, but to point that out would spoil the rhythm of this entry which cleverly harks all the way back to the Mark Cooper-Jones one) breaks out of that sketchy straitjacket to reflect on his days on a French exchange visit. Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, 2–24 Aug (not 13), 3.40pm, free.

4PM Hi, Hitler One of the finest puns of the

Fringe tells of Lucie Pohl’s upbringing and her strange childhood fascination with the nasty Führer. She’s related to Bertolt Brecht, you know. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 4.15pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £5.

Robin Ince Nothing nasty about Mr Ince, one of the most delightful chaps on the comedy circuit. Here, he gives us a clever show about the brain. The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 1–12 Aug, 4.25pm, £10 (£9). Preview 31 Jul, £9 (£8).

FanFiction Comedy A return for the cult show that delves further into pop culture fantasy than you might want to go. Assembly George Square, 226 0000, 2–24 Aug (not 12), 4.40pm, £8–£10. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

Simon Amstell Ahead of his latest

VITAMIN A man who believes he was once a dog. A nun in a closed shopping centre. This is the kind of thing you can expect from this ‘dancerpriest-accordionist-caterpillar man’ who trained at Ecole Philippe Gaulier and is merrily giving us the benefit of those studies with an expert clowning show.

■ Assembly George Square, 226 0000, 2 & 3 Aug, 6.30pm, £12. Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £8.

5PM John Kearns A wild success on the free roster last year to the point where he won the Best Newcomer award, Kearns lays more of his Shtick on us.

Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, 2–23 Aug (not 13), 5.05pm, free.

Seymour Mace If he’s still best known to you as the guy who played creepy twins in Ideal, it might be time you got out more. And saw him live.

The Stand V, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11, 13), 5.30pm, £8 (£7). Preview 30 Jul, £7 (£6).

Phil Wang Another of last year’s impressive newcomers, Wang is back with Mellow Yellow, almost certainly another wry set of observations and stories. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug, 5.50pm, £8.50–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

6PM Susan Calman ‘The wee lassie with

a big future’ we dubbed her many years ago. And, incredibly, we weren’t wrong. Lady Like is a show about ‘a lot of things’. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug, 6.30pm, £12.50–£13.50 (£11.50–£12.50).

Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £7.

Nina Conti If ventriloquism is your bag for an early evening out, you need

self-effacing tour, the guy we all loved taking the rise from music types in Popworld does his sensitive comedy thing. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 4–12 Aug, 10pm, £12 (£11).

Alun Cochrane An unsung heroes of British stand-up. Will he be decked out in double denim this year? The Stand, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 10.10pm, £10 (£9). Preview 30 Jul, £9 (£8).

Ennio Marchetto The man of a million papier mâché-related impressions returns with Obama, Gaga and a cast of many others. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–15 Aug (not 11), 10.30pm, £12.50–£14 (£11.50– £13). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £8.

11PM to cop a load of Conti. Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–17 Aug (not 12), 6.55pm, £10. Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

7PM Jo Caulfield Want a surefire

recommendation for a funny Fringe night out? This is it now. If you don’t like her, it’s almost definitely your fault.

The Stand, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 7.05pm, £10 (£9).

Paul Foot A real opinion-divider is Mr Foot. If you want a gauge of his thing, Noel Fielding really likes him. But experiencing Foot in the flesh is the only true way to shape a verdict. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 7.30pm, £10.50–£12 (£9.50–£11).

Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

Oh My Godley! Still the godmother of Scottish comedy, Janey Godley will be giving it both barrels to an array of targets. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug, 7.55pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

8PM Celia Pacquola This never unpopular Aussie comic has a request: Let Me Know How it All Works Out. A show about the future and how not to plan for it. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug (not

Adrienne Truscott Last year she won the prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards that is neither the main gong nor the best newcomer, for a show about rape culture, performed naked from the waist down. Here the Wau Wau Sister reprises that underground hit. Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 226 0000, 6–16 Aug (not 10–12), 11pm, £8.

This is Your Trial Not one of those awful comedy roasts, but a celebration of something or someone ‘on trial’.

There are judges and wigs and a rotating cast of Fringe folks. Assembly George Square, 226 0000, 2–23 Aug (not 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18), 11.20pm, £8.50–£10.50.

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

MIDNIGHT Late with Kate One of those

fun-packed late-night compilation shows hosted by the redoubtable Kate Smurthwaite. Canons’ Gait, 226 0000, 2–23 Aug (not 3, 10, 17), midnight, free.

The Room The worst movie in cinematic industry? It’s certainly up there, but this has only eased its passage into the cult classic canon. Four cringeworthy chances to see what the fuss is about. Assembly George Square, 226 0000, 3, 10, 17, 24 Aug, 12.15am, £8.

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L A V I T FES Guide

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HITLIST THE BEST DANCE EVENTS

Circa: Beyond The Australian circus troupe who see things differently are back after 2013’s incredible Wunderkammer.

See review, next issue. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug (not 6, 12, 20), 7pm, £16.50–£18.50 (£15.50–£17.50).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £12 (£11).

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Black Grace New Zealand’s foremost contemporary dance company makes its Fringe debut, with works rich in Samoan heritage. See preview, page 52. Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–22 Aug, 7.20pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £10.

✽

This is Brasil – The Show Experience the real Brazil, through samba, capoeira, freestyle football and incredible music. See preview, left. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 12), 8pm, £13.50–£17 (£11– £15). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £8.

✽

THIS IS BRASIL Music, dance and football that can’t be beaten

T

heir World Cup exit may have dampened the spirits of Brazil’s residents, but as audiences will witness this August, triumphing over adversity is in the country’s DNA. Led by Brazilian singing sensation Magary Lord, This is Brasil – The Show brings together live music, capoeira, dance and a sporting phenomenon known as freestyle football, this time featuring actual world champions.

‘It’s always inspiring to see how much talent there is in the simplest, most underprivileged areas of the world,’ says producer Toby Gough, who has been rehearsing the show in Rio de Janeiro. ‘The cast and musicians are coming to Edinburgh with a passion, to escape the World Cup blues and remind everyone that they’re still the kings and queens of carnival.’

Lenka Vagnerová & Company: Riders The star of the Czech Republic’s contemporary dance scene brings her dynamic work to Edinburgh. See feature at list.co.uk/ festival. Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 3–10 Aug, 5pm, £12 (£10). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £10.

✽ The performers will do their best to conjure up the sunshine, favela spirit and beautiful nature of their homeland – but to help them along, Gough has commissioned filmmakers to take audiences on a journey to Brazil (including a bird’s-eye view of the new Maracanã stadium shot from a helicopter).

‘It’s all set to some stunning film projections that provide the visual backdrop,’ says Gough. ‘We went to Rio and Salvador to work with the cast, so audiences can see the world that these performers come from – and then see them on the stage in Edinburgh in front of their eyes.’ (Kelly Apter) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 12), 8pm, £13.50–£17 (£11–£15). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £8.

Brazouka Brazil’s fast-paced dance sensation lambazouk burns up the stage. See feature at list.co.uk/festival.

Assembly Hall, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 5.30pm, £18–£19 (£15–£16). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £12.

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Missing Powerful duet from Dublin’s CoisCéim Dance Theatre, about the torment of a loved one going missing.

See preview, page 54. Dance Base, 225 5525, 2–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 6pm, £8–£10 (£6–£8). Preview 1 Aug, £8 (£6).

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FESTIVAL DANCE | Previews

BLACK GRACE

UK debut of New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance group Founded by choreographer Neil Ieremia in 1995, Black Grace draws upon Ieremia’s roots as a New Zealand-born Samoan for many of its themes and much of its style. His aim with the company is to create work accessible enough ‘so that someone who knows nothing about dance can walk in and enjoy themselves, and yet the choreography’s so layered that dancegoers can appreciate the rhythms and composition.’

Most of the company members coming to Edinburgh are New Zealanders with various backgrounds: Samoan, Tongan, Maori and even Scottish, plus two guest performers from the USA. Ieremia will steer them through a mixed bill of short works expressed with a richly physical raw power and flair.

The oldest, dating from 1999 and based on a nursery rhyme, combines the traditional fa’ataupati (or slap dance) with western choreographic techniques. Another, featuring seated body percussion, taps into male stereotyping in the Pacific.

‘I grew up in Porirua, just outside the capital city of Wellington,’ Ieremia explains. ‘It was a tough, working-class environment, so you can imagine how difficult it was as a young male to be interested in dance. Pacific and New Zealand men are supposed to be farmers, hunters and labourers, not dancers!’

The rest of the programme balances a high-impact tribute to Ieremia’s mum in among political edginess and a fantastically romantic take on gender differences. About the latter, Ieremia says, ‘for the first seven years of Black Grace, I only worked with male dancers. Then, in 2002, I brought three women into the studio. The effect was incredible. All of a sudden the guys were behaving differently, looking after themselves. The studio smelt better too.’ (Donald Hutera) ■ Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–22 Aug, 7.20pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £10.

PHOTO © ALEX BRENNER

PHOTO © BENEDICT JOHNSON

ATHLETES

MARIA ADDOLORATA

MALASOMBRA

This beautiful, unconventional trio by Italian-born Riccardo Buscarini won the 2013 Place Prize, a London-based gong sometimes described as the UK dance equivalent of the Turner Prize.

It’s a strange, striking work featuring females encased in tight, white costumes (by fashion designer Brooke Roberts) adorned with spinelike appendages. The brief, highly stylised drama in which they’re engaged is at once creepy, romantic and a matter of life-and-death, and it’s set to Bernard Herrmann’s unforgettable score for Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

‘I’ve always loved that music,’ the choreographer admits. ‘It’s very layered, majestic and melancholic.

I wanted Athletes to have that feel.’

The result is stunningly ambiguous. ‘There haven't been any weird interpretations so far,’ Buscarini claims, ‘but I'm looking forward to some. I hope Edinburgh audiences will get wild and creative!'

As a child his dream was to become a puppeteer.

'I was fascinated by the idea of creating worlds on stage and delivering them to people. I’d like to think that somehow I’m still doing the same through dance.’ (Donald Hutera) ■ Dance Base, 225 5525, 2–17 Aug (not 4, 11), 1pm, £8–£10 (£6–£8). Preview 1 Aug, £8 (£6).

It’s an old cliché that artists have to suffer for their discipline. But Italian dancers Chiara Taviani and Carlo Massari are pushing this notion further than most, in a show that aims to investigate the experience of human suffering.

‘We find it strange that a subject matter that touches us all is not present more often on stage,’ says Massari, co-choreographer and performer in the duet. ‘Suffering is universal, all of us experience it, still we shun away from delving into its meaning.’

The show's title roughly translates as ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’, and was inspired by Catholic iconography. But they hope the piece transcends religion to speak universally. Their aim is to explore physical and mental suffering and its effects on others, from sympathy to confusion to humour.

Surely, however, there is a price to pay for recreating all that misery, night after night? ‘There is a crucial dividing line between portraying a part with empathy, but recognising that we are not the characters,’ says Taviani. ‘Once you metabolise this concept, you can give it all to the part and step out of it, with love and respect, till the following performance.’ (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 1–24 Aug, 6.40pm, £10 (£8; family ticket £26).

Cross-disciplinary shows may be standard Fringe fare these days, but few pieces can boast the lineup of Malasombra, which combines theatre, dance, video art, cartoon techniques, shadow effects and heavy metal to tell a dark, fable-esque tale.

‘I wanted to do a performance with my friend Max (an award-winning cartoonist),’ says Tomeu Gomila, co-director and choreographer. ‘So I asked him if he had an idea. It was very difficult to do a narrative story with our abstract scenic language but we tried for a long time until the show came up as a combination.’

The piece tells the story of Mr Malasombra (‘evil shadow’ in Spanish) who disguises himself as a person, in order to seduce people and put them to work as slaves in his factory.

Despite the various components that make up Malasombra, Gomila insists the overall effect is simple. ‘We are not doing a traditional shadow theatre performance with hands or acrobatics,’ he says. ‘The aim was to put on to the stage the naive style and simplicity of Max’s illustrations in a dancetheatre piece for all the family.’ (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 6–24 Aug (not 12, 19), 2.40pm, £13 (£11; family ticket £46). Previews 1–4 Aug, £11.

Award-winning dance to great Hitchcock score

Exploration of human suffering through dance

Dark fable from Spanish company

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FESTIVAL DANCE | Previews PHOTO © IMAAN HAKEEM

THIS IS CONTEMPORARY ICE SKATING

TABULA RASA

MISSING

Canadian troupe aim to reinvent ice dance

Young Birmingham dance-maker thinks outside the box

‘We're not cerebral artsy-fartsy intellectuals,’ says Alexandre Hamel, founder of ice-skating troupe Le Patin Libre, and one of the performers in their show This Is Contemporary Ice Skating. ‘Far from that.

But through the fun of the event, we believe deeply that the performance introduces a new unique art.’

Unique certainly sums up the Montreal-based company. Kicked out of multiple skating schools for refusing to adhere to the rules, they set their sights on changing perceptions of ice skating and their show promises segments entitled ‘tap-skating’ and ‘the underwear opera’.

But there is a serious side to the medium. ‘Ice allows glide,’ says Hamel. ‘On normal stages an artist must walk, crawl, run, jump. On the ice, a body can be moving at 40km per hour. This makes skating magical to watch – a bit like flight.’

Each performance is followed by a party, and having two left feet should be no barrier to joining in, says Hamel. ‘I'm a clumsy person. My girlfriend is ashamed of me on dance floors. But on the ice, everything changes.’ (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Murrayfield Ice Rink, 07532 181402, 3 & 4, 9–11, 13, 17, 20, 22 & 23 Aug, times vary, £15 (£13; family ticket £38).

A sensual, athletic mix of African and contemporary dance, this 40-minute performance from Keneish Dance springs from choreographer Keisha Grant’s interest in how people function and connect to others. ‘Relationships, work and pleasure motivated it. But it’s very abstract,’ she cautions. ‘I wanted to tackle the concepts spiritually.’

And what did she learn from making it? ‘How much we think inside the box even if we’d like to think we don’t.’ Grant founded her ‘small but passionate’ company in 2009. Although she’s the sole choreographer, four dancers contribute to the creation process. ‘Most of the time they energise me to create, but there’s always give and take.’

One of the strongest features of Tabula Rasa is Grant’s use of kizomba, an erotic Angolan partner dance. She’s danced it herself ‘in bars and clubs, where it tends not to go further than something feminine, or sexual. I was intrigued with the ways it could be seen onstage, hoping to use it as a metaphor for how connections can create something new. People inspire all my work, and I enjoy sharing it with new people.' (Donald Hutera) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 1–9 Aug, 3.30pm, £10 (£8).

An average of 8000 people are reported missing in Ireland every year. While the majority are found, those who remain untraced leave behind a sea of heartbreak and unanswered questions.

Dublin-based CoisCéim Dance Theatre is known for its engaging, accessible, yet profound work, and Missing looks set to follow suit. ‘I’m interested in creating dances that are emotional and have a narrative,’ says director, David Bolger. ‘And with Missing, I was looking for a dance vocabulary that would convey the sheer emotion associated with the disappearance of a family member, loved one or friend. But it was also important to be true to the subject – to honour the missing and be respectful to the families left behind.’

Missing was in part inspired by a woman from Bolger’s own neighbourhood. ‘Everyday on the way to the studio, I passed a missing person poster taped to a lamppost at the end of my street,’ recalls Bolger. ‘As the days and weeks passed I could see her image on the poster fading. It reminded me about the importance of remembering missing people, and how it affects communities on a deeply rooted level.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Dance Base, 225 5525, 2–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 6pm, £8–£10 (£6–£8). Preview 1 Aug, £8 (£6).

Poignant duet about lives left in limbo

THE WARRIORS: A LOVE STORY

Multimedia ensemble captures wartime romance Sifting through a trunk of mementoes after his grandmother’s death, a young musician starts to see his grandparents through different eyes. When they fell in love; how she, a young German dancer, survived the 1945 bombing of Dresden; their postwar life in America. It’s a story of courage, humanity and love – made all the more potent because it’s true.

Based on the lives of Glenn and Ursula Gray, The Warriors: A Love Story is the latest work by Texas-based company, ARCOS. Choreographed by Curtis Uhlemann and Erica Gionfriddo, the script, music and video come courtesy of Eliot Gray Fisher – the grandson of Glenn and Ursula.

Used to creating work inspired by movement, music and ideas, this was a new challenge for the choreographers.

‘Working from a true story was hard to wrap our heads around at first,’ Gionfriddo admits. ‘We quickly realised, however, that we weren’t recounting events as a documentary would, rather telling Eliot’s story from our perspective.’

Interviews with those who knew Glenn and Ursula formed part of their research. ‘We are losing survivors from that era,’ says Gionfriddo, ‘and this personal viewpoint must continue to be told before it gets lost in the history books that record presidents, chancellors and generals, but not the countless regular people who were swept up in the broad scope of war.’

Known for its astute use of interactive video and multimedia, ARCOS has learned to strike a fine balance between onstage and on-screen action. ‘Our challenge is to use enough new media to be relevant to contemporary audiences,' says Gionfriddo, 'but use it differently enough so they have an undeniably “live” experience in the theatre.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 3–24 Aug, 8.30pm, £12 (£10). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £8.

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KIDS

LIST.CO.UK /FESTIVAL

HITLIST THE BEST KIDS STUFF

PHOTO © MOLLY ROBINSON

✽

Musical Mornings with Mil’s Trills New York ukulele player Amelia Robinson charms the little ones with her catchy original songs. See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–17 Aug (not 11), 10.30am & 11.30am, £7–£9 (£6.50–£7.50).

Previews 30 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.50.

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Emily Brown and the Thing The inimitable Tall Stories bring Cressida Cowell’s popular picture book to the stage. See preview, page 57. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 1–24 Aug (not 7), 2.05pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £6.

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Red Riding Hood Puppetry and mask add a new dimension to this reworking of the traditional tale. See preview, page 58.

Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, 1–17 Aug (not 11), 1pm, £8.50 (£6.50).

Preview 31 Jul, £7.50 (£5.50).

THE CAT IN THE HAT

✽

W

✽

Famous feline climbs on stage

ith his red bow tie and tall stripy hat, few children’s book characters are as iconic as the Cat in the Hat. Written in 1957 by Dr Seuss (aka American writer Theodor Geisel), the story is precious to generations of readers – requiring a sensitivity on the part of those adapting it for the stage.

‘The zany world of Dr Seuss is as precious to the entire team and myself as it is for the fans (young and old) across the world,’ says director Paul Taylor-Mills. ‘We have been extremely loyal in the aesthetic of the design so that it truly does feel like the book has come to life on stage. Where we have made it fresh and new, is in the engagement with our audiences.’

Geisel’s original book was specially commissioned to provide a fun and engaging way for children to learn to read. And the

producers see this stage version as playing a similar role: only this time, the aim is to fire up a passion for the theatre.

‘There is a pressure on us to make sure young people want to come back to the theatre forever and we certainly hope we succeed,’ says Taylor-Mills. ‘Our vision for the show was that it had to be a relaxed performance where children are able to talk, come in and out of the auditorium, play with the balls and pop the bubbles. The only thing they’re not allowed to do is touch the Cat in the Hat’s tail, as he gets very angry.’ (Kelly Apter) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 12.05pm, £9–£11 (£7.50– £9.50), 6, 13, 20 Aug, 1.05pm, £10 (£8.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

Chalk About Choreographer Christine Devaney explores what it means to be you, in this highly visual show. See preview, page 57.

Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 5–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 11.30am, £9 (£7; family ticket £26). Previews 1–3 Aug, £6.

Ready, Steady, Ceilidh CBBC presenter Iain Stirling hosts this fun hour of music, dancing and lots of joining in. See preview, page 58. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 12.30pm, £10–£12. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

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The Sagas of Noggin the Nog Puppetry, live music and Vikings in this stage version of the 1960s and 70s children’s TV series. See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 12.50pm, £9–£10 (£7–£8). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

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BIG RED BATH & THE SNOW DOG Double helping of imaginative fun

Full House Theatre has been devising family theatre for more than ten years, and this year it’s bringing illustrated children’s book Big Red Bath to the stage. Julia Jarman and Adrian Reynolds’ book has become a modern classic with young readers, and was an obvious choice for adaptation.

‘We wanted to work with a local author and Julia hails from Bedfordshire too,’ explains co-creative director, Ben Miles. ‘All children love bath time, making up stories and playing with their parents. The book conjured up so many of our own childhood memories of bath time fun we were able to connect with it instantly and felt very inspired from the get-go.’

The music in the production is composed by French electropop outfit We Were Evergreen, who Miles first encountered at South Wales’ Green Man Festival two years ago. ‘We Were Evergreen have never created work for children before,’ he says, ‘but their sound does have an innocence and naivety to it which we thought could work. Their variety of electro beats and melodic rhythms are great for helping define characters and create the magical mayhem that ensues in the bath.’

Part of Escalator East to Edinburgh, Big Red Bath is directed

by Chris Elwell from London’s Half Moon Young People’s Theatre. It will alternate its Pleasance slot with another Full House production, The Snow Dog, an exploration of childhood bereavement which features a live husky. ‘Huskies do have a special appeal to young audiences,’ says Miles. 'Wherever he goes, he gets attention – it must be the ice-blue eyes and his soft fluffy coat, which gets everywhere.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, (Big Red Bath) 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 Aug, 11am, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Preview 31 Jul, £6; (The Snow Dog) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 Aug, 11am, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Preview 1 Aug, £6.

PHOTO © KAT GOLLOCK

CHALK ABOUT

DEAN FRIEDMAN

EMILY BROWN AND THE THING

Adults spend a lot of time assuming they know what children want. So it’s refreshing to hear that choreographer Christine Devaney and her creative partner Hendrik Lebon took the time to ask children about their latest show, Chalk About, a playful yet touching look at what makes us who we are.

The show started life as a series of conversations with kids aged eight to 12. ‘We spoke to children in the Netherlands, Scotland, Germany and Belgium,’ says Devaney. ‘And it was very touching to hear them talk about things in their lives that upset them, whether that was losing a football game or the death of a grandparent. Their gentle, honest answers helped shape the show, and became an integral part of the soundtrack.’

Devaney and Lebon also asked the children what they did, and didn’t want to see in a show. Using dance, talk and lots of chalk, the duo ask some of life’s big questions in a way that has audiences both laughing and pausing for thought.

‘For all its playfulness, Chalk About also creates a space for self-reflection,’ says Devaney, ‘and it leads people to think “what's my story?”’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 5–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 11.30am, £9 (£7; family ticket £26). Previews 1–3 Aug, £6.

‘I'm pretty sure every songwriter with kids finds themselves humming silly melodies to distract themselves – and keep their kids from wiggling off the table – while changing nappies. That's how my first kids’ songs came about,’ says Dean Friedman.

The American songwriter – known for 1970s hits ‘Lucky Stars’ and ‘Ariel’ – is explaining why he switched from entertaining adults to writing shows for kids. ‘Kids are a perfect audience; they have no preconceptions, they just want to be entertained,’ says Friedman. ‘At the same time their attention span is about two seconds long, so you have to retain total focus to keep their attention and work a bit harder. But it's always worth the extra effort.’

This is Friedman’s tenth Fringe, and he’s bringing four shows – two children’s musicals and a singalong, plus a concert of his own songs. ‘Kids are constantly being reminded to behave, so when they see a grown-up make a stupid mistake, they think it's hilarious,’ he says. ‘They're more clever than grown-ups give them credit for.’ (Claire Sawers) ■ Sweet Grassmarket, 243 3596, 31 Jul–24 Aug (not 18–22), 10.30am (Smarty Pants), 1.30pm (Smelly Feet), £8 (£5; family ticket £20); 17, 24 Aug (Dean’s Silly Song Sing-Along), 3pm, £10 (£7.50; family ticket £30).

From The Gruffalo to The Snail and the Whale, Tall Stories can often be found turning the pages of a book into a show. Next stop on their list of popular picture books is Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton’s Emily Brown and the Thing. And, as always, a whole host of creative decisions have gone into fleshing out the text in preparation for moving the action to the stage.

‘Emily Brown is a much-loved character, but whilst we follow the story and use the characters as our base, there was still so much left to decide,’ remarks director Olivia Jacobs. ‘How will Emily sound and move? How do we bring her rabbit toy to life? What will the Thing look like? And how do we transport the audience to each new adventure?’

As always with Tall Stories, the answers to those type of questions lies in dynamic physical storytelling, vibrant designs, and original music that is specially composed to accompany each adventure Emily goes on to help the Thing get to sleep.

‘On top of that,’ says Jacobs, ‘there are a good few catchy numbers that you won’t be able to get out of your head after the show.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 1–24 Aug (not 7), 2.05pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £6.

Playful yet profound dance show

1970s pop icon who’s down with the kids

Bedtime favourite brought to life

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FESTIVAL KIDS | Previews

READY, STEADY, CEILIDH

PIPS AND PANDA

RED RIDING HOOD

Ready, Steady, Ceilidh, the younger counterpoint to Assembly’s late night dance show, This is Ceilidh, aims to introduce over-fives to the riotous pleasures of Scottish traditional dancing.

Hosted by CBBC presenter and comedian Iain Stirling, it will combine ceilidh fun with comedy, games and storytelling for all the family. Lorne MacDougall will be Ready, Steady, Ceilidh’s resident piper in August. An acclaimed traditional musician, he has played for hit films Brave and How to Train Your Dragon 2, and also at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.

‘We’ll teach you the dances step by step. That's what the “caller” does – explains everything really clearly. It doesn’t matter how much ceilidh you’ve done before, just be ready to dance.’

As for mess-ups on the dancefloor – as MacDougall says, it can go wrong for the best of us. ‘I sometimes forget the steps,’ he admits. ‘And when I do, I just copy what someone else is doing and that usually works. But if it goes completely wrong, I just smile and clap my hands – that works too.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 12.30pm, £10–£12. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

There aren’t many children’s theatre companies who can claim to have entertained three generations of the same family. But if, like Purves Puppets, you’ve been treading the boards for 40 years, inevitably some of your earliest audiences will produce offspring – who enjoy the same things their parents did.

‘The main things that kids love don't change,’ says puppeteer Ian Purves. ‘Plenty of action, spectacular scenes, and characters they really identify with.

We always bring the main puppets out to meet the audience afterwards, and often meet people who bring their children to see their favourites from when they were that age.’

Bringing two shows to the Fringe – Pips and Panda in Magicland and Pips and Panda Meet the Three Bears – Purves Puppets has forged its reputation on innovative ultraviolet staging.

‘As a puppeteer, it sets you free,' explains Purves.

'You can fly through the air or vanish in a flash. It fills the whole stage with colour and holds the children's focus. And now we are combining computer animation with UV to bring our style up-to-date for the electronic generation.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ South Leith Church Halls, 07896 051826, 30 Jul–12 Aug (not 3, 10), 11am (In Magicland), 1.30pm (Meet the Three Bears), £8.

We all know the tale of the wee girl in the red cape, and the wolf with a penchant for dressing up. Or rather, we think we do. But as puppetry company Horse + Bamboo discovered, there’s more than one way to tell a classic.

‘It’s easy to think of traditional stories as always having the same outcome,’ says puppeteer, Jonny Quick. ‘But it was exciting to discover there are many versions of Red Riding Hood throughout Europe – and they’re all different.’

Liberated by this discovery, writer Alison Duddle has reinterpreted the tale, placing more emphasis on the relationship between Red and the Wolf. ‘We also wanted Red to go on a journey inside herself as well as into the woods,’ explains Quick.

Known for its engaging use of masks, puppetry and video projection, Horse + Bamboo has won acclaim for finding alternative ways to communicate with an audience.

As Quick says: ‘We use text where it helps move the story on – but for us it’s not just how you tell a story with words, it’s also about what the audience can see, hear and feel.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, 1–17 Aug (not 11), 1pm, £8.50 (£6.50). Preview 31 Jul, £7.50 (£5.50).

Whirling and burling with the wee ones

Ultraviolet puppetry that stands the test of time

New spin on an old yarn

POTTED SHERLOCK

Dan and Jeff are Holmes alone With news that Benedict Cumberbatch is returning as the supersleuth of Baker Street, while Ian McKellen is set to play a ninetysomething Holmes obsessed with cracking one final case, it seems that we just can’t get enough of Arthur Conan Doyle’s clever dick. For those who aren’t prepared to wait for their next fix of Sherlock, help is at hand from the team who brought you Potted Potter, Potted Pirates and Potted Panto, as they do their condensed thing on the deerstalker-donning detective.

‘After doing all of the seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes, we decided to up the stakes and really challenge ourselves,’ insists Dan Clarkson, one-half of the Potted duo, which is completed by Jeff Turner. ‘What could be more challenging than doing the complete works of Sherlock Holmes, all 60 stories in 70 minutes. Averaging out at nearly a book a minute, it’s definitely our biggest challenge.’

Given the evangelical passion which followers of Harry and Holmes are fired up with, little can be left to chance by Clarkson and Turner. They must know their subject to the nth degree for their shows to convince fans and critics. ‘Fabulously funny’ and ‘gloriously irreverent’ are just two of the quotes they’ve been able to slap on their posters. But such reviews aren’t earned by knocking out a script off the top of their heads.

Intense investigation into the published and screened work needs to be conducted – not that Clarkson is complaining: ‘So much research has gone into this one, but it wasn’t really a chore. I got to re-read all the books, watch the entire BBC Sherlock series, and then watch all 254 of the films while eating my body weight in popcorn. Being able to claim the whole time that I was working. It’s a tough old life.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 1–25 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 2.50pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £6.

58 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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HITLIST

THE BEST ROCK, POP, JAZZ & FOLK

✽

Martyn The techno / dubstep producer, who’s released on Hyperdub and Ninja Tune, makes his Edinburgh debut. Sneaky Pete’s, 225 1757, 31 Jul, 11pm, £8.

✽

Impression of Taiwan Traditional world music and costume from the dramatic Ten Drum Percussion Group (pictured, above), part of the Taiwan Season 2014. EICC, 0844 847 1639, 3–24 Aug, 6pm, £12 (£10).

Previews 1–2 Aug, £10 (£8).

✽

Awesome Tapes from Africa A visit from the undeniably awesome Brian Shimkovitz, world music blogger and DJ for Summerhall’s Opening Party, plus a live set from Golden Teacher and DJing from David Barbarossa. Summerhall, 560 1581, 1 Aug, 10pm, £10 (£8).

✽

Glen Matlock: I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol The former Sex Pistol tells his story. See interview, page 62. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 1–6 Aug, 7.30pm, £15. Preview 31 Jul, £9.

BACCHANALIA

Cabaret pick’n’mix with a dusting of variety and smut

‘A

s clichéd as it sounds, with all the unrest in the country on so many fronts, people need escapism. They need the wonder,’ explains Titty Bar Ha Ha’s Boo Dwyer of the elusive attraction cabaret enjoys. ‘It is the comedy equivalent of when TV went into colour. I think people want sparkle and glitter at a time when things are sometimes quite bleak.’

‘Bleak’ is far from the word to describe the Titty Bar Ha Ha-hosted Bacchanalia.

Grabbing some of the best cabaret, magic, burlesque, comedy and circus in Edinburgh this year and chucking them into a room together, Bacchanalia aims for a carnival mood. With no two nights the same, this is cabaret at its most familiar, dusted in variety and smut.

‘Cabaret is like the pick’n’mix of the

entertainment world,’ Dwyer continues. ‘It doesn’t matter what you go for, sometimes you’re going to love it, sometimes you’re going to hate it, sometimes just pick the hair off it and wonder if it was meant to be there, but you’ll keep going in for more.’

The show promises a ‘headline only cast’, including Hope & Gloria (Titty Bar Ha Ha), Bey Dance creator (and diva) Liz Cahalan and Melbourne’s chanteuse comedian Elena Glitter-Gabrielle.

‘We want people to leave our show saying “that wasn’t what I expected, but it made me feel alive and awesome!”,’ says Dwyer.

(Kirstyn Smith) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–24 Aug (not 4–6, 11–13, 18–21), 12.30am, £10–£12. Preview 1 Aug, £6.

✽

Five-Thirty Cabaret at the Famous Spiegeltent No idea where to start? The Spiegeltent deliver a handy cabaret sampler every day. Or read our Cabaret highlights at list. co.uk/festival. The Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, 1–25 Aug, 5.30pm, £6.

✽

Born to Be Wide Edinburgh Night A showcase of bands performing during the Fringe, with ten acts doing ten-minute sets, plus DJs playing music from local heroes. Electric Circus, 226 4224, 3 Aug, 8pm, £3.50 or free via facebook.com/borntobewide

✽

Torsten the Bareback Saint Andy Bell from Erasure brings a song cycle to the Fringe, partly inspired by the artwork of Tom of Finland.

See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 5–16 Aug, 6.15pm, £16–£19.

60 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Previews | FESTIVAL MUSIC

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IF IT WASN’T FOR THEIR WELLIES

THE LIVING MOUNTAIN

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION

’When I got this commission I didn’t think it was the most exciting idea to write about welly boots,’ says composer John Maxwell Geddes (pictured), ‘because it’s hardly writing about romance. Or about the start of the First World War, because I don’t celebrate that at all.’ Yet when he started to hear the stories, ideas began to form. Following Live Music Now Scotland’s ‘Composing With Care’ model, the story of the old Castle Mills rubber factory in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge was gathered from historical documents and one surviving worker, a 103-year-old lady, to create Geddes’ Castle Mills Suite.

Presented as part of the 14–18–Now WWI Centenary Art Commissions series (and paraphrasing the project’s title from the Billy Connolly song), Geddes’ work consists of five songs celebrating the mill’s work in supplying the frontline. The songs tell of love, industry, the loss of a fighting child and the 1916 Zeppelin bombing raid on Edinburgh. Composed for female voice and piano, these works are intended to live on beyond their initial performance. ‘I could be dead and gone,’ says Geddes, ‘and hopefully they’ll still sing it.’ (David Pollock) ■ National Museum of Scotland, 0300 123 6789, 6 & 8 Aug, 2pm, free. Also part of Museum After Hours, NMS, 8 Aug, 7.30pm, £16 (£14).

The Living Mountain, a specially designed and curated record shop offering a host of the best avant garde releases in a suitably innovative environment, will be running throughout August as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival.

It's the brainchild of Edinburgh-based record label owner, graphic designer, vinyl collector and DJ Lindsay Todd, and will feature left-field electronic, ambient, house, jazz and field recordings, as well as second-hand records and hand-printed, stamped and numbered releases from Todd’s own labels Firecracker, Unthank and Sacred Summits.

‘It’s kind of a natural progression, really,’ says Todd, who will be DJing daily in the store, situated in the basement of Summerhall’s Church Gallery. ‘I think the way I’m working – doing limited editions, work for other labels and my own labels – I’ve always thought it needed a front end where I could be selling the stuff as well as sourcing bits that you really just can’t get in these parts.’

‘And just tying in with Summerhall. We’ve got a thriving contemporary art scene here and it’s good to have a space that evolves naturally and organically.’ (Colin Robertson) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, 1 Aug–26 Sep, from 11am, free.

‘The word “political”, it’s been a bit of a millstone,’ says Steve ‘Chandrasonic’ Savale of the Hackneyformed Asian Dub Foundation, for 20 years a group who have fused a social consciousness to a melting pot of Great British street sounds, from punk to dub to UK rap and bhangra. ‘We just sing about what we wanna sing about. The only difference is we’re not concerned about “demographics” or “brand identities”. Music isn’t a lifestyle accessory.’

The group’s commercial peak came in 1998, as the hard-edged anti-racism of their second album Rafi’s Revenge won them a Mercury nomination and support from the likes of Primal Scream, but their lack of recent mainstream profile belies their success elsewhere. Earlier this year they headlined a stage at Poland’s Exit festival, their new live score to George Lucas’ debut film THX-1138 will premiere in New York soon, and their forthcoming album The Signal and the Noise has already been released in Japan.

These live shows with DJ afterparties will bridge the gap between Scotland’s two big non-political events of the year. ‘It’s perfect for us,’ says Savale. ‘We’re big fans of common wealth and we’re a fringe group.’

(David Pollock) ■ Liquid Room, 225 2564, 2 Aug, 6.30pm, £15; Summerhall, 560 1581, 2 Aug, 11pm, £10 (£8).

Edinburgh rubber factory inspires WWI songs

Avant garde pop-up record store

London punk / ragga / bhangra band

MUSICAL THEATRE ROUND-UP

Things you didn’t think they’d make musicals about

Bonded By Blood

We’re used to how ridiculous the Fringe can get. Who hasn't accidentally ended up in a show with 18 naked Australians throwing paint on a woman wearing a nappy? Still, serial killers and chicken restaurants getting the musical theatre treatment?

We round up some 2014 shows that made us do a double-take.

Try UCAS (Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–23 Aug) for starters; a chance to relive your least favourite conversation and sing along to ballads about deciding whether someone should go to uni or not. Or Bonded By Blood (Spotlites @ the Merchants Hall, 2–16 Aug), a musical about the killings of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. Cashing-in on a nation’s morbid fascination, or an important new fresh look at their crimes? See if you can still boast 'I'm not offended by anything' after that.

There's also an opera on Jack the Ripper, Jack and I (C nova, 30 Jul–25 Aug), but at least the victims’ families aren’t around to know it’ll be flyered on the Royal Mile next to a man upside down with his head in a bucket.

There are obviously thousands of excellent piercing, jabbing, painful needle jokes that could be made with our next find, Adventures of the Singing Acupuncturist: Big O Finds Her Soul (Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug). For example, we could say she probably has a voice like someone swinging a bag of cat-shaped partially unproven medical practices.

And finally there's Nando’s and Nandon’ts: A Musical (Phones 4U, 1–10 Aug, see page 23), in case you thought that the only thing in the Fringe catering to lower-league footballers and stoners was that guy from Police Academy who makes noises with his mouth.

(Alice White) ■ See list.co.uk for full show details.

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FESTIVAL MUSIC | Previews

ALL BACK TO BOWIE’S

Bowie-inspired, referendum-themed cultural salon

QUICK Q&A WITH . . .

GLEN MATLOCK: I WAS A TEENAGE SEX PISTOL

Glen Matlock was allegedly thrown out of the Sex Pistols for the crime of ‘liking the Beatles’. He busts this and other myths in his oneman words-and-music show at the Fringe this year I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol

What did music mean to a teenage Sex Pistol?

It was an exit from the potential 9-to-5 world. ‘God Save The Queen’ was originally called ‘No Future’ because that’s what it seemed like in London at the time. We didn’t have a pot to piss in but that gave us a good spirit.

Where did it all go right?

We never followed the trend. Any success I’ve had has been because I ploughed a lonely furrow myself or with a few likeminded souls. I think it’s always best to stick out like a sore thumb.

Where did it all go wrong?

The punk thing came along and people just copied us. You can imagine notices going up in youth centres: we’re punks, we’re trying to form a punk band, we play punk music, by the way you must be a punk. It became very narrow.

Why go back?

It always surprises me that 35 years later somebody still wants to talk about it, but it really struck a chord.

(Interview by Fiona Shepherd) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 1–6 Aug, 7.30pm, £15-£18. Preview 31 Jul, £9.

February 2014: David Bowie wins a Brit Award and uses the occasion to appeal – via a proxy, who just happens to be Kate Moss – ‘Scotland, stay with us.’ Some idiots threaten to bin their Bowie collections, but playwright David Greig, who describes his hero’s indyref intervention as ‘typical Bowie – quite enigmatic, delivered by an alter ego, yearning but also commanding’, chooses to respond with a Fringe show.

‘It was kind of thrilling that he cared, even though I don’t think he really has any sense of what’s going on,’ says Greig. ‘I love David Bowie so I take anything he says seriously. It made me think harder.’

All Back To Bowie’s is the result – a cultural salon involving music, discussion and writing inspired by the ideas thrown up around the referendum debate, with a different Bowie-titled theme to be explored each day. ‘Waiting for the Gift of Sound and Vision’ spotlights the media, ‘Suffragette City’ looks at women and independence and ‘A Godawful Small Affair’ contemplates Tory Scotland (ouch).

Confirmed guests so far include Nicola Sturgeon, Elaine C Smith, Jim Sillars and Lesley Riddoch – all firm advocates of a Yes vote. All Back To Bowie’s is not conceived as a balanced debate, but a forum for ideas.

‘As long as people know we’re not “neutral” then they’ll be able to enjoy the show without feeling hectored,’ says Greig. ‘We’re not trying to convert anybody. I honestly don’t care if a Bowie show affects how you vote in the referendum. I only want it to be interesting, and to explore in depth the amazing flowering of ideas and politics in Scotland right now.’

‘But knowledge of David Bowie is vital – because knowledge of David Bowie is vital for life,’ says Greig.

Surely we can all agree on that? (Fiona Shepherd) ■ Stand in the Square, 558 7272, 12.20pm, 1–24 Aug, £8 (£6).

A TRANNY ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Detroit showgirl talks boy troubles

After last year’s hit show A Tranny is Born, Mzz Kimberly knows she has a lot to live up to. ‘I’m scared as hell,’ admits the Detroit singer. ‘Last year I had rollerskates and videos showing – this year it’s just me.’

A Tranny on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown may be stripped down compared to 2013’s extravaganza, but it’s still packed with jazz, gospel and show tunes, plus ‘stories about relationships with men from her hometown’. Mzz Kimblerly’s not afraid of controversy either. Reclaiming a transphobic slur in her show title hasn’t sat easily with some in the LGBT world, but she says it’s essential. ‘I wanted to talk about the word “tranny” and being a trans woman.

It’s a fun show but I wanted it to be a bit educational.’

In the wake of Orange is the New Black’s openly trans actress Laverne Cox heralding what Time magazine claimed is a ‘transgender tipping point’ in terms of public understanding and media representation, she’s finding attitudes are changing.

‘I’m treated with so much respect at the Fringe,’ she raves. ‘I’m so glad they asked me back.’ With a setlist full of exciting new material, so are we. (Kaite Welsh) ■ Voodoo Rooms, 556 7060, 2–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 6.15pm, free.

62 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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ë The horrors of war and the joyfulness of life are bound up together in this magni cent showí Scotsman

WhatsOnStage

Sunday Herald

Sunday Express

British Theatre Guide

Scamp Theatre and Carey Marks present

by Michael Morpurgo

author of War Horse adapted & directed by Simon Reade starring Andy Daniel

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THEATRE

LIST.CO.UK /FESTIVAL

HITLIST THE BEST THEATRE EVENTS

✽

The Trial of Jane Fonda The untold story of how Fonda’s anti-war antics and tactics impacted on the geopolitics of the American state. Starring Anne Archer (pictured).

See feature at list.co.uk/festival. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 4.05pm, £16 (£13). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £10.

✽

Party in the USA! Wild physical theatre from New York.

See preview, page 82.

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 3pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

✽

Light See preview, left. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 5.15pm, £10–£13 (£8.50–£12). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.50.

✽

LIGHT

Surveillance inspires new show by experimental award-winners

T

hough equally brilliant, Theatre Ad Infinitum’s last two Fringe shows couldn’t have been more different: 2011’s Translunar Paradise was an exquisite, romantic piece of mime, while last year’s Ballad of the Burning Star was a bold, brash cabaret act about life in Israel. ‘That’s one of our aims,’ explains co-artistic director George Mann, ‘to make sure we do something different each time.’

Commissioned by the London International Mime Festival, their new show Light will also be distinct. Ten years ago, Mann had a terrifying nightmare ‘set in the future in a surveillance, totalitarian state’, and has been trying to create a piece of theatre about it – unsuccessfully – ever since. But the surveillance revelations exposed last year by Edward Snowden have given the idea a new lease of life.

‘There seems to be this weird complacency [about surveillance],’ says Mann, ‘a lack

of urgency or alarm. And I’m talking about myself here too: I’m still using Facebook and Skype even though I know people have the ability to get in on my conversations.’

Mann and his co-artistic directors Nir Paldi and Amy Nostbakken are Lecoq-trained, and Light will be a non-verbal show set completely in the dark, lit with LED torchlights and with live sound effects by Mann to create a dystopian, futuristic atmosphere.

‘I think dystopian futures are so powerful,’ he says. ‘Take Nineteen Eighty-Four or Fahrenheit 451: they are set in the future but they make us think about our present. And that’s what I wanted to create. I really hope it’ll generate discussion and I hope it’ll make people think.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 5.15pm, £10–£13 (£8.50– £12). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.50.

Donald Robertson Is Not a StandUp Comedian Glasgow theatremaker Gary McNair offers some worldly wisdom – of the comedy kind – to a young boy he meets on the bus, and learns a thing or two in the process. See feature, page 70. Traverse, 228 1404, 1–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), times vary, £18 (£13). Preview 31 Jul, £12 (£7).

✽

Return to the Voice Acclaimed Polish theatre company Song of the Goat take inspiration from traditional Gaelic song for this spellbinding musical performance. See feature, page 73. Summerhall @ St Giles’ Cathedral, 0845 874 3001, 7–25 Aug (not 10–12, 17, 22–24), times vary, £15 (£13). Preview 6 Aug, 10.30pm, £12.

✽

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt A triumphant piece of musical theatre which blew audiences away when it was first performed last year. See feature, page 66. Assembly Checkpoint, 623 3030, 2–24 Aug (not 12, 19), 8.50pm, £12–£13.50. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £10.

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Janis Joplin: Full Tilt

PEARL JAMS

After a critically acclaimed turn in last year’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint season, Janis Joplin: Full Tilt is taking on Edinburgh. Malcolm Jack chats to Cora Bissett and Peter Arnott, the duo behind the show

T

he way in which this part-concert part-play came together is fitting tribute to both the free and easy spirit of the age it remembers, and the wonderfully no-nonsense manner in which the late David MacLennan ran Òran Mór’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint theatre programme.

Having witnessed a ‘jawdropping’ performance by her friend Angie Darcy as Janis Joplin in the 2012 Fringe play The 27 Club, director Cora Bissett – of Glasgow Girls and multi-award winner Midsummer: A Play With Songs repute – some months later sent an audio recording of the actress / musician to MacLennan insisting that they find someone to write a one-woman show for Darcy on the same theme. ‘And Dave, in his own inimitable way,’ explains Bissett, ‘he just said, “Absa-fucking-lutely! Who should write it?” And Peter Arnott was literally standing at the bar, and we just shook on it there and then. It was that easy. Sometimes you have months of getting the right creative team together, but that wasn’t Dave’s way of doing things.’

‘That was a very 1960s thing to happen,’ Arnott adds. ‘It wasn’t that planned – it just kind of happened.

Angie is such a talent, you just build the show around her. It’s not rocket science.’

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt debuted at A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Glasgow’s Òran Mór last autumn and arrives at the Fringe in a slightly expanded form. The iconic American blues-rock singer – who died of a heroin overdose in 1970, aged 27 – is brought to life by Darcy with backing from a full live band, in the context of an imagined concert loosely based around one of her final, famously rambling and explosive live appearances.

As Joplin was wont to do in an invariably drunk and stoned state, she holds court with the crowd at length – between and sometimes during songs – exposing her wounded soul for all to see and hear. She talks about the pleasure and pains of her life, from misfit, bullied child of a lower middle-class Texan family to multimillion-selling voice of a generation. She philosophises widely on everything from being a woman in the male-dominated music industry, to the pressures of fame and the split personality it forces upon her. When Darcy sings – performing timeless songs like ‘Piece of My Heart’ and ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ – she channels Joplin’s unmistakably raw, serrated, scintillatingly loud and passionate mezzo-soprano, a sound that Arnott likens to that of ‘a planet exploding’.

Winner of a Fringe First in 2012 for Why Do You Stand There in the Rain?, Arnott wrote his script in memory and celebration of not just Joplin, but of all the members of the so-called 27 Club – Jim Morrison, Brian Jones and Jimi Hendrix included – each of whom by eerie coincidence died from misadventure at the same age and within a few short years of each other.

They were all prototypes for a certain type of fame, a certain type of hero-worshipping and excess – now so familiar in rock mythology but, to these talented young men and women who burned bright and burned out fast, a new and powerful experience. ‘It was the beginning of the modern era,’ says Arnott. ‘Everything else since has been a hangover from the party in a way.

That opening up of possibilities in the world is always worth celebrating. They define a lost generation.’

As a ‘white middle-aged man’, Arnott wasn’t necessarily the first person Bissett had in mind to write her Joplin play, but he proved the right person. ‘He’s a massive fan,’ she says, ‘and what he came out with was just so knowledgable. He just got her – got her to the very core.’ As Arnott sees it, Joplin ultimately could never come to terms with the terrible loneliness that haunted her throughout her short life, even as she stood on a stage adored by huge crowds. ‘That loneliness in front of thousands of people is absolutely the central theatrical thing,’ says Arnott. ‘Here’s this person whose name was on all the posters, but it’s not really her. In the later part of her career she invents this alter-ego called Pearl. Janis is the one nobody knows.

In the script it says: “Janis is the one who cries alone, but which one would you be if you could choose?”’

While she set a new standard for gutsy iconoclasm by women in rock’n’roll, and has inspired countless singers since from Stevie Nicks to Florence Welch, it’s a great irony of Joplin’s legacy that one of her last and best-known songs, hippy anti-consumerism hymn ‘Mercedes Benz’ – as performed by Darcy in powerful a cappella format – has since become synonymous with adverts for, yup, cars. ‘But I think she’d have seen the cosmic joke,’ muses Arnott. ‘I think all great artists know that the universe is not on their side. We all have a limited time and, as Shakespeare put it, “Rightness is all”. It’s not how long you’ve got, it’s what you do with it.’

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt, Assembly Checkpoint, 623 3030, 2–24 Aug (not 12, 19), 8.50pm, £12–£13.50. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £10.

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list.co.uk/festival

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt | FESTIVAL THEATRE

5 SHOWS:

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL THEATRE From intimate confessions to dramatic lives filled with international adventures, autobiographical theatre rescues the artform from the parade of adaptations and Shakespeare reinterpretations

JAMAICA FAREWELL Debra Ehrhardt escaped Jamaica for America, using the romantic aspirations of a CIA agent: a witty thriller from an experienced storyteller and directed by Joel Zwick who happened to direct the highest grossing romantic comedy ever, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug, 4.15pm, £8.50–£11 (£7–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

‘I think all great artists know that the universe is not on their side’

FRAGILE Geoff Thompson’s semiautobiographical drama is a challenging look at abuse, reconciliation and redemption, which caused both controversy and acclaim when first performed: not suggested for delicate sensibilities. ZOO, 662 6892, 3–25 Aug, 9pm, £9.50 (£8.50).

Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £8.50.

DANISH FACE When Anna Andresen decided to move to America, she encountered a Hungarian pervert, a chainsmoking mother and, being Danish, she hunted for trolls. Comic storytelling with a live art twist. Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 226 0000, 31 Jul–24 Aug (not 12), 10.20pm, free.

LOVE. GUTS. HIGH SCHOOL. Jeanette Bonner performs her script that ponders what made her the women she is today, via heartbreak, diary entries and messy teenage relationships. Sweet Grassmarket, 243 3596, 4–24 Aug (not 11,18), 4pm, £9 (£8).

Previews 31 Jul–3 Aug, £6 (£5).

SISTER Amy and Rosana Cade (pictured) explore their sibling relationship and respective feminisms in a rare example of a two-handed piece based on their lives as children and very different adults. Amy is a sex worker, while Rosana is a shavenheaded lesbian. Contains nudity and serious conversations about freedom of choice and sexuality. Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 2–24 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 8.15pm, £13 (£11). Preview 1 Aug, £10.

(Gareth K Vile)

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Commonwealth Theatre

THE INTERNAT In the year that Glasgow hosts the 2014 Games, the Fringe offers a chance to discover theatre from several Commonwealth countries. Three List writers explore the shows on offer from South Africa, New Zealand and Scotland

SOUTH AFRICA

‘It’s great to be able to present a range of work from this very vibrant country,’ says William Burdett-Coutts, artistic director of Assembly Festival, who is presenting their third South African season. ‘There is a range of talented theatre people working in South Africa who have this vitality and interest in their own culture and how they represent it. No one can avoid the stigma of the apartheid era, but people are confronting the past and finding ways of defining themselves today.’

The boldness of the Playhouse Company is clear in their decision to bring Pulitzer Prizewinner David Mamet’s controversial Race, to Assembly. Enthusiastically received in South Africa, a country battling with the complexities of a post-apartheid society, Mamet’s scripts have the ability to explore difficult areas and refuse any easy solutions: here, the partners in a law firm, one African-American, the other white, decide whether to take on the case of a wealthy white man accused of raping an African-American woman.

Also at Assembly, Mbongeni Ngema, who is returning to the stage after 27 years, says of The Zulu that ‘the play could only have come from South Africa as it reflects the formation of the Zulu nation by that awesome military genius King Shaka Zulu.’ Retelling stories passed on during Ngema’s youth by his blind great-grandmother, it covers the arrival of white British and Boer Settlers and their impact on the history of South Africa.

Yet Ngema is adamant that this does not represent South African theatre: ‘This is a

unique piece of theatre also new to South African audiences. It is a trend-setter.’

Combining music, ritual and performance, Ngema presents a compelling journey of personal identity.

Beyond Assembly, and from a musical perspective, Soweto-based African Tree Productions offer a variation on the classic tortured romance: Magadi – The Bride Price.

Featuring a cappella voices and traditional African dance, Magadi tells the tale of a modern African woman who meets her village childhood sweetheart, now a highly protected African prince. (Jen Bowden) Race, Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 20), 3.20pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £9.

The Zulu, Assembly Hall, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 12.45pm, £12–£13 (£11–12).

Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £9.

Magadi – The Bride Price, Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 556 5375, 2–24 Aug (not 12) , 2.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £5 (£4).

NEW ZEALAND

In the popular view of the northern hemisphere – and indeed, much of the country’s neighbours – New Zealand is a remote idyll populated by hobbits and sheep where not very much ever happens. Yet history tells us that a country so young is unlikely to be a country without its

68 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Commonwealth Theatre | FESTIVAL THEATRE

list.co.uk/festival

L–R Black Faggot, The Zulu, Kiss Me Honey, Honey!, Spoiling

ATIONAL STAGE social issues to explore, as the land’s changes are all relatively fresh in the memory and the integration of its peoples is an ongoing process.

Presented as an exercise in celebrating the Commonwealth (in fact, a high proportion of New Zealanders are the descendants of Scots settlers over the generations), the NZ at Edinburgh showcase series this year brings a range of theatre shows which scratch beneath the surface of what we imagine New Zealand to be.

From a British perspective, playwright Arthur Meek’s On the Upside Down of the World traces the tempestuous history of our own colonisation of the country, a historical one-woman show which adapts the memoirs of Lady Ann Martin, wife of the country’s first chief justice and a pioneer of race relations in the mid-19th century.

Tales of migration to NZ don’t just emerge from this remote perspective. More than one show in this series looks at the communities of Pacific Islanders who have settled in the country, but perhaps the most interesting – certainly the most attention-grabbing – might emerge in Victor Rodger’s Black Faggot, a hard-edged comedy about responses to the country’s Marriage Equality Bill set amid the Pacific Island community.

Highest profile of all, meanwhile, will be the return of Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponifasio after his acclaimed Edinburgh International Festival shows in 2010, with the EIF’s I AM, a physical meditation on World War I and New Zealand’s role in it.

(David Pollock)

On the Upside Down of the World, Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 1.15pm, £11–£13 (£10–£12). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £8.

Black Faggot, Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 5.30pm, £11.50–£12.50 (£10.50–£11.50). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £7.

I AM, Playhouse, 473 2000, 16 & 17 Aug, 8pm, £10–£32.

SCOTLAND

Befitting a nation deciding its future shape, Scottish theatre is thriving, as evinced by the diversity on offer at this year’s Edinburgh festivals. Whether provocative, crowd-pleasing or challenging, there are grand, universal themes being grappled with – of friendship and identity, power and politics.

John McCann’s Spoiling is a wry satire: Scotland’s outspoken foreign minister deviates from the script, and hilarity ensues. Featuring a strong central performance by Traverse favourite Gabriel Quigley, it’s sure to provoke audiences, whichever side of the referendum debate their allegiances lie. ‘John McCann’s writing has a real electrical charge and his timing, subjectwise, proved irresistible in terms of our festival programming,’ says the Traverse’s artistic director Orla O’Loughlin. ‘I’m proud that this provocative, heartfelt, funny play is part of the Made In Scotland showcase.’

Director Sam Kane has two of Scotland’s best-

loved comedy actors in Andy Gray and Grant Stott playing Graham and Ross, two middle-aged men who form a friendship through a somewhat incongruous shared love of Shirley Bassey in Kiss Me Honey, Honey!. For Kane, there’s grit amid the glamour too: ‘My take on the success of the piece is the absolute realness. Andy and Grant play their respective roles so brilliantly it’s impossible not to get whipped up in the comedy as well as the misery too. Last year I found myself laughing like a drain and sobbing like a baby.’

Another Made In Scotland presentation, White Stag Theatre Company’s critically acclaimed MacBheatha reimagines the breakdown of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship.

Translated into Gaelic, it is suitable for English speakers, White Stag producer Paul Coulter explains: ‘The translation by Ian MacDonald, adapted by Uist actor David Walker, is true to the original script and the language brings warmth and truthfulness to the characters, whilst building the tension for anyone who may know the script but not necessarily understand each word.’

(Lorna Irvine) Spoiling, Traverse, 228 1404, 1–24 Aug (not 4,11,18), times vary, £18 (£13). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £12 (£7).

Kiss Me Honey, Honey!, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 17–24 Aug (not 21 & 22), times vary, £12.50 (£11.50).

MacBheatha, Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 11–24 Aug (not 18), 2pm, £12.50 (£9.00).

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Gary McNair

JOKE ACT

Gary McNair is one of Scotland’s most promising new theatremakers. But, aptly for the Fringe, his latest performance draws on stand-up comedy. He speaks to Lorna Irvine

G

ary McNair’s new show for the Traverse, Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian, blurs theatre and stand-up comedy to hilarious and often moving effect, tackling issues of affirmation, bullying and identities lost and rediscovered.

Teenager Donald Robertson is bullied on the bus, and ‘Gary’ (an alternate version of the writer / performer) intervenes, teaching the lad the noble art of the put-down, while trying to introduce his protégé to a comedy based not on hate but compassion. And so, through the prism of comedy, the boy blossoms, but not without Gary learning more about himself in the process.

For Donald Robertson, McNair reinvented his performance persona as a smug, nerdier version of his own personality. Where then does McNair end and ‘Gary’ begin? ‘On the Number 42 bus!’ he exclaims. ‘No, we’re different people. I felt an affinity with his situation: as for me, I think it’s important that if I am playing a version of myself, that the

character shares the same name as me. You select certain details of yourself, blur the lines, polish off edges – you buff things up. It was very deliberate, primarily because in other shows, where I have played a character called Gary, people have taken it as 100% truth. I want to problematise him.’

Beginning with his own attempts at a standup routine, Gary effectively deconstructs the differences between theatre and comedy via a series of (initially, at least) unsuccessful jokes.

The conventions and tropes of stand-up are utilised – including a rather hopeful stab at shock comedy – as are theatrical ones, with the use of lighting especially impressive.

‘The structure of the play is one long joke: there are several little punchlines throughout it, working towards one big punchline,’ he says.

‘It was fun making it, as I got to go to the New York Comedy Festival. And I saw a lot of bad comedy – soulless clubs watching nine people do the same routine, trying to make a safe five minutes to get on television. There’s not

enough risks, so I wanted to start with failure, the death of the joke on stage’ McNair believes that the Traverse audience, familiar with more sophisticated theatrical formats, will be receptive to it, but also hopes that traditional comedy followers will go, that ‘the comedy audience who go to be entertained will find a hook into it’.

Comedy as a way of connecting, of sharing and provoking compassion as well as laughter, is a key ingredient in his character’s relationship to Donald Robertson, and this ideal infuses the production. ‘I do hope that there will be people who usually go to stand-up acts exclusively: one of the challenges of the piece is to reach out to people,’ he continues. ‘If there is anything I have as a philosophy, it is to be entertaining and challenging in equal measure.’

Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian, Traverse, 228 1404, 1–24 Aug, (not 4, 11, 18), times vary, £18 (£13).

Preview 31 Jul, 6pm £12 (£7).

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Regular Music supported by the National Theatre of Scotland in association with Richard Jordan Productions presents

From Fringe First Award winning playwright Peter Arnott and multi award winning director Cora Bissett (roadkill)

I am the rock, you are the f***ing window!

It's a legacy that blazes on... ì so brilliant and intense both musically and dramatically that it lifts the hairs on the back of the neckî

+++++ THE SCOTSMAN

Assembly Checkpoint 31 July ≠ 24 Aug (excluding Tuesday 12, 19)

8.50pm

01† ñ † 25† August

First produced at Oran Mor as part of A Play, A Pie and A Pint

20:50

31 JUL - 24 AUG (NOT 12,19)

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 71

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Return to the Voice | FESTIVAL THEATRE

list.co.uk/festival

VOICE ARTISTS The latest Edinburgh Fringe show by acclaimed Polish theatre company Song of the Goat is inspired by Scotland’s musical traditions, writes Mark Brown

T

he great Indian cultural theorist Homi Bhabha writes of ‘hybridity’, a cultural phenomenon in which artists bring together aesthetic influences from different times and different places to create new art forms. It is an idea that could almost have been created to describe Polish theatre company Song of the Goat.

The company hails from the western Polish city of Wrocław, where the famous theatremaker, and the Goats’ great inspiration, Jerzy Grotowski had his artistic laboratory. Like Grotowski, the Goats’ work is the product of intensive research and preparation. When Rupert Thomson, artistic director of Edinburgh’s Summerhall venue, and Robert McDowell, the venue’s founder, proposed to Grzegorz Bral, director of Song of the Goat, that he consider making a work based upon Scotland’s ancient musical traditions, the Polish artist was initially reluctant. Although he had heard a lot of Scottish traditional music, Bral didn’t consider himself knowledgable enough to pursue the project.

Chronicles – A Lamentation, the piece with which the company made its Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2004, is typical of Bral’s method.

The Goats steeped themselves in the southern European music of lamentation. The result was a deeply emotionally resonating, beautifully sensuous production driven by the company’s extraordinary, original polyphonic song.

After some reflection, Bral decided to reconsider the Scottish project.

‘I have such a love and respect for Scotland, I decided that we should allow ourselves to be inspired by the Scottish tradition.’ For Bral, being inspired meant four expeditions: two to the Isle of Skye, one to Harris

and Lewis, and a fourth to the archives of the Edinburgh Music Library.

These trips included working with the musicologist John Purser, who became, in Bral’s words, the Goats’ ‘ethnomusicology guru’.

Bral eventually selected 15 songs which the Goats would ‘take as an inspiration, a starting point for our own compositions and improvisations’ in creating their latest work, Return to the Voice. This new piece will be performed in the appropriately sacred venue of St Giles’ Cathedral. The work, which Bral says will be more like a concert than a theatre performance, is a hybrid of Scottish, mainly Gaelic, traditional musical forms (and, in one instance, Burns’s poem A Bard’s Epitaph) with Song of the Goat’s very particular style of theatre and polyphonic song.

What it is not, Bral emphasises, is an attempt to recreate Scotland’s ancient music. ‘Please express my apologies,’ he urges, ‘to anybody who may feel offended, because the music is not exactly like it should be. This is not my role. I am just a theatre director inspired by the profound experience of the Gaelic music.’

As theatregoers who have experienced Song of the Goat’s work at Edinburgh festivals past will confirm, Bral’s apology is almost certain to be unnecessary. A very beautiful and deeply moving work of musical theatre seems to be in prospect.

Return to the Voice, Summerhall @ St Giles’ Cathedral, 0845 874 3001, 7–25 August (not 10–12, 17, 22–24), times vary, £15 (£13). Preview 6 Aug, 10.30pm, £12.

‘I decided that we should allow ourselves to be inspired by the Scottish tradition’

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Verbatim Theatre

best tackled s e im t e m o re s lt subjects a ity of verbatim theatre u c fi if d t, r o sp lar r public tran ates the growing popu o s g u r d , x e s g ig Whether it’s s. Gareth K Vile invest d r with real wo

L A E R T E G M

ax Stafford-Clark, ford-Clark, former artistic directorr of the ollaborator Traverse and collaborator with writers as diverse as David Hare, Markk Ravenhill hill, regards and Caryl Churchill, verbatim as ‘thee last great pulse in theatre’. Often used in rmat, it takes a documentary format, ple involved the words of people in an event and puts them age. directly on the stage. ho has two Mark Jeary, who verbatim plays in the Fringe lackout), is (X and Y and Blackout), clear about the advantages. ayering and ‘You get the layering nuances, but for me it’s ys. ‘Verbatim honesty,’ he says. g to characters gives real layering nces that are – different nuances uce accurately difficult to reproduce – from patterns of speech, to a umour. I find it certain sense of humour. all in the text, and find it difficult to fake.’ ries both deal Jeary’s two entries ssues (gender with sensitive issues alcoholism, identity and respectively) – and verbatim offers a way into complex subjects without falling foul of typical theatricall conventions. sti asks some Likewise, Travesti tough questionss about the socialisation of women. Director Rebecca Hill elt that fictional explains: ‘I felt accounts of these experiences are easily written off because they are fiction, and men’s true accounts are far more entertaining, actually the women’s uching than anything I could have made up.’ shocking and touching m is not necessarily more confrontational, it challenges Although the form sider the performance as part of a discussion rather audiences to consider rtainment. than as mere entertainment. w in Edinburgh for the past fi five The biggest row ve years has been the tram saga, so it feels inevitable that Joe Douglas, director of Bloody Trams, would use a verbatim approach to get ‘an authenticity of voice’.

Douglas takes the theatre experience even closer to the source, using a technique whereby the actors hear the words through a headset, rather than following a traditional script. ‘It gives a really exciting, live performance quality – somewhere between acting and presenting the characters,’ he says. ‘It means you can be more truthful to the voices that have been captured, and that audiences also receive a tone or quality of delivery.’

and immediate issues into theatre social discussion.

However, Howev there ch are challenges, as Matthew Baldwin and Tho Thomas Hescott, writers oof Outings (cast pictured), note. ‘We prefer to ssay the show is based on re real life comingout stories [rather] than “verbatim” ttheatre: quite a few of our stories were emailed to us us, which meant we didn’t get the rhythm of their speech an and had to find that for ourselv ourselves.’ But more importantly, the writers are noticing the eth ethical demands that verbatim pr processes place on the artist. Re Respect for the participants trum trumps the usual aesthetic concerns concerns, and places an obligation on the makers to be honestt and not sen sensationalise.

Verbatim techn techniques access an emotional honesty, and an immediacy that is rare in convention conventional scripted performance. Stafford-Clark sees the approach as borrowing from journalism, and it charges up performance by connecting it to wider deb debates and real lives. From Blo Bloody Trams to Blackout, it is no not just the form that is urgent and intimate. All of these plays dea deal with relevant matters, transfo transforming social and then feeding back into the

Blackout, Freestival Space @ Phones 4U, 226 0000, 000 1–10 Aug, 1.45pm, free.

X and Y, just Festival, 226 0000, 2–5, 16–19 Aug, times tim vary, £10 (£8). Preview 1 Aug Aug, £5 £5. Also at Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 (£8) 9579, 6–10, 20–24 Aug, 7pm, £10 (£8).

Bloody Trams, Traverse, 228 1404, 5–10 Aug, 11pm, £12 (£10).

Travesti, Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 5, 19), 2.50pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug , £6.

Outings, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 30 Jul–25 Aug (not 6, 13, 21), 1pm, £10–£13 (£11–£12).

74 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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The sequel to the award winning The List.

by Jennifer Tremblay translated by Shelley Tepperman starring Maureen Beattie 31 July ñ 24 August 2014 Traverse Theatre 0131 228 1404 www.traverse.co.uk £13/£8 concession/£8 unemployed www.stellarquines.com/thecarousel

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Confirmation

HEARTS AND ‘Everybody thinks they’re right to the same extent’ Yasmin Sulaiman chats to Fringe First-winners Rachel Chavkin and Chris Thorpe about their first collaboration, a provocative examination of confirmation bias

S

eparately, Rachel Chavkin and Chris Thorpe have been behind some of the most exciting Fringe shows of the past decade. As artistic director of New York’s the TEAM, Chavkin has impressed audiences and critics alike with genre-bending triumphs like Architecting (2008) and Mission Drift (2011).

Thorpe’s The Oh Fuck Moment (co-written with Hannah-Jane Walker) won a Fringe First in 2011, and last year’s There Has Possibly Been an Incident received plaudits too. But this year, they’re teaming up for the first time on Confirmation – a complex show that’s the result of rigorous research on confirmation bias.

For the uninitiated, confirmation bias is the impulse that human beings have towards favouring information that confirms the beliefs they already hold. Thorpe, who writes and performs the solo show, was inspired by ‘a fascination with the psychological processes that we use to receive information’, and in Confirmation, he hopes to ignite a conversation with the audience about his findings.

Thorpe and Chavkin – who became friends through their involvement in the National Student Drama Festival – embarked on a wide research process. Thorpe spent time working with academics at the University of Warwick and both were strongly influenced by Daniel Kahneman’s bestseller Thinking, Fast and Slow and Jonathan Haidt’s acclaimed book The Righteous Mind. But Thorpe also spent part of the research period with a white supremacist in order to test his own liberal confirmation bias.

‘Part of it was trying to interact with what I would consider to be extreme viewpoints,’ he explains, ‘an attempt to have a specific conversation with a person who held views that I absolutely disagreed with but was actually quite similar to me in a lot of respects. Socially, economically – on the surface there wouldn’t appear to be so much between us given our experiences and our backgrounds, yet we’ve ended up so far apart. So it was necessary to have what I’m characterising as “honourable dialogue” with someone, an open series of

conversations.’

However, both Thorpe and Chavkin are well aware of the dangers of giving an extreme viewpoint a platform. ‘We talked a lot about the responsibilities of doing this,’ says Chavkin, who directs the piece. ‘I think Chris was even more sensitive to it than I was, because America has slid so far in terms of really heinous viewpoints being given not just airspace but often equal airspace.’

‘So it was something I pushed on because I wasn’t sure whether it was, as a liberal, about seeking to have your own bias about the right confirmed. Finding someone who’s going to say the worst things possible – now, that is almost a line in the show. Talking about how to approach these ideas ended up really shaping the dialectic that Chris has in the piece, as he argues with himself about what he’s doing and unpacks it.’

The experience has helped Thorpe escape the knee-jerk reaction of “Everyone would think like me if they were as well-informed as I am” - and that’s bullshit actually,’ he says. ‘You quickly

76 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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D MINDS

Confirmation | FESTIVAL THEATRE

5 MORE...

THOUGHT-PROVOKING SHOWS Plays tackling the big issues

BLOOD ORANGE A frank exploration of the alarming rise of the new far right in modern Scotland. When his father’s business fails, a young man blames local Asian market sellers, forcing him to violently confront issues of race, religion, faith and tolerance in today’s society.

Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 7.45pm, £14.50 (£9.50).

LAND OF SMILES Erin Kamler’s musical pulls back the curtain on the harsh realities of the trafficking of women in Thailand and examines the tangled moral, social and political issues which surround it.

Inspired by interviews with sex workers, NGO employees and grassroots activists.

Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 1.35pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).

Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £5.

realise that strength of conviction is the common thread of personal viewpoint. Everybody thinks they’re right to the same extent. There isn’t some kind of magical middle ground which is based on a series of absolute truths that if we all accepted we would somehow get along. It’s destabilising for me, as this guy who essentially wants us all to get along, because there isn’t any place for us to get along from.’

But, he says, that doesn’t make the outlook bleak: ‘If everyone’s facing those dilemmas then all you can do is make what you consider to be the right choices and fight the ones that you consider to be wrong.’

That’s also been what Chavkin’s taken from the process. She says: ‘I think it ultimately offers a rallying cry for rigorous liberalism – it demands a sense of rigour that I think is often lacking.’

The show is co-presented by Warwick Arts Centre and China Plate, and audiences have reacted to Confirmation’s pre-Edinburgh previews ‘very positively and complicatedly’ says Chavkin. And, coincidentally, one of the previews was held on the same night as this year’s controversial European elections.

‘I’m not going to pretend that didn’t give it an extra kind of boost in terms of how urgent

it felt,’ says Thorpe. ‘But this isn’t necessarily about UKIP [and] it’s not about religious fundamentalism of any kind. If it’s relevant to something that’s going on now, that’s great. But it will always be relevant to think about these things, because these are the constant processes that we live within, and we can only work against their negative effects if we put the effort in and recognise that they exist.’

It’s this recognition of confirmation bias that is the piece’s central aim. ‘It actually achieves what is a really hard thing,’ explains Chavkin, ‘which is not just to talk about confirmation bias but to actually make you aware of the phenomenon working in yourself over the course of the piece on multiple levels.’

‘The last thing that I want this piece to be is a narrative retelling of my adventures with a Nazi,’ Thorpe adds. ‘Fuck that. It’s not about me wowing an audience with the brilliance of my insight because I’m really not into that.

It’s about us all turning up on that day, at that specific time, up for having a conversation.’

Confirmation, Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 477 6630, 4–23 Aug (not 10, 17), 4.35pm, £14 (£11). Previews 31 Jul & 2 Aug, £11.

FACTOR 9 Inverness-based Dogstar Theatre Company challenge the medical and political establishments with a tale of two haemophiliacs living with a potentially fatal disease, contracted through a contaminated prescription. Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 5–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 1.55pm, £12–£13 (£8). Previews 1–4 Aug, £8 (£6).

JONNY & THE BAPTISTS: THE SATIRIC VERSES Fresh from their Stop UKIP Tour, which caused a media storm when party supporters called for their shows to be discontinued, Jonny & The Baptists combine disconcerting Usher-esque dulcet tones with themes such as censorship, revolution and the sorry state of postrecession Britain. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 9.40pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

CHEF Sabrina Mahfouz’s new play uses expressive spoken word and poetry to tell the story of a woman who goes from haute cuisine chef to an inmate running a prison kitchen. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 6.10pm, £9.50£10.50 (£8.50-£9.50). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

(Maud Sampson and Colin Robertson)

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Mental

Kim Noble has talked about his own suicidal impulses on stage before – this year, he turns his attention to the mental health of the activist known as ‘the vacuum cleaner’. Kaite Welsh caught up with him

MIND GAMES A

n audience member tried to have him institutionalised, and he once filmed his own arrest for stalking, but controversial comedian and performance artist Kim Noble is back in Edinburgh with not one but two shows. Five years after he discussed his own suicidal impulses in Kim Noble Must Die, he has turned his attention to someone else’s mental health and is directing Mental, an autobiographical account of the performance artist, activist, in-patient and ‘domestic extremist’ known only as ‘the vacuum cleaner’.

Mental takes place over 13 years, exploring the relationship between the vacuum cleaner’s mental illness and his interactions with the police.

It weaves together personal reflections, psychiatric records, police intelligence files and social services reports to create an unsettling look at the results of the stigma and social isolation around mental health. It also takes place under a giant duvet, for a select audience of 15.

Noble has come to the production relatively recently but has helped the vacuum cleaner shape it, as well as preparing him for taking an intensely personal show to the hotbed of emotion that is the Fringe. Mindful of the

toll of creating such an emotionally weighted piece, the vacuum cleaner approached mutual friends to see if Noble was well enough to collaborate.

‘I always thought his work was really interesting, and obviously there was a kind of crossover with my last show,’ Noble explains. Since they both fuse multimedia with live performance, he felt it was a good fit – a rare expression of confidence from an artist who is beyond selfdeprecating and keeps insisting he has no talent.

Still, he’s quick to downplay his involvement. ‘The word “direct” is a little bit strange,’ he muses. ‘I was brought in for a particular purpose.’

His role on Mental allowed him to have a distance from the subject that he isn’t used to, saying he frequently loses sight ‘of what’s real and what’s on stage’ in his own shows. ‘I wasn’t seeing the painful side that he’s going through. I’m trying to see it from an audience perspective, which I’m not sure I’m very good at doing for my own work.’

He is also performing his own show, You’re Not Alone, which features, among other things, video footage of B&Q and the sound of his neighbours hav having sex, which he recorded through the wa wall without their knowledge. It is a follow-up of sorts to his 2009 production, ‘but I didn’t wa want it to be,’ he insists, explaining that he’d hoped the catharsis from his first show w would have been complete. ‘I tried to move on, but I just blatantly haven’t.’ Noble admits that working on a production about someone else’s mental h health is easier than working o on something autobiographical. ‘‘That sounds horrible, doesn’t it?

B But you have a sort of objectivity w when it’s not about you.’

H He plans on asking for additional su support to manage his mental hea health during what he describes as ‘the madness of the Edinburgh mo month’ – and when he uses that wor word, you know he really means it. G Given his crippling stage fright and agoraphobia – he’s praying for a zomb zombie apocalypse in Edinburgh this summ summer – it seems that in directing, Nobl Noble has finally found the perfect vehic vehicle for the pain and innovation that ccharacterise his work.

‘I tried to move on, but I just blatantly haven’t’

Mental, Pleasance Pop-Up: The Menta Bedro Bedroom, 556 6550, 7–24 Aug 11 (not 11–13, 18–20), 6.30pm, £10 K (£8). Kim Noble: You’re Not Alone, Travers 228 1401, 20–24 Aug, Traverse, 11.15p 11.15pm, £19 (£14). Preview 19 £1 (£7).

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Previews PHOTO © JONATHAN KEENAN

TOP 5

FREE SHOWS Increasingly, the Free Fringes have become a reminder of the alternative and experimental possibilities of Edinburgh in August. From new plays to investigative cabaret, the Free Fringes have begun to present theatre that ranges across genre and styles

Death Shall Have No Dominion WWI meets Richard III as this Welsh company looks at how easily reputations can be destroyed on the battlefield. Divided into two parts, it follows the tale of Shakespeare’s delicious villain and a Welsh battalion accused of cowardice.

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 557 0234, 1–23 Aug (not 19), 6.15pm.

Playback Impro Experience the thrill of having your story turned into theatre: the company takes tales and improvises a performance on the spot. Comic or tragic: it depends on the crowd. This show demands audience participation, but in a gentle and supportive atmosphere. Laughing Horse @ The Jekyll and Hyde, 225 2022, 31 Jul–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), 12.30pm.

Pope Head: The Secret Life of Francis Bacon (pictured) Another Welsh company, this time a solo show getting to grips with the dark 20th century artist. After a youthful indiscretion, Bacon finds himself banished to Berlin, and begins to develop the beliefs that will guide his painting. Laughing Horse @ Ryries, 337 0550, 31 Jul–24 Aug (not 13), noon.

And the Goat Remained a Goat Fringe veterans, and absurdist vaudevillians the Creative Martyrs team up with Professor Richard Wiseman to seek out the truth behind Harry Price: ghost hunter, psychic investigator, conjurer and debunker. Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, 2–16 Aug, 5pm.

The Mother of the Priest A priest finds that pleasure can overcome even the entreaties of his mother in a one-woman show that combines physical theatre, Sardinian folk song and an adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner Grazia Deledda’s novel The Mother. The Street, 226 0000, 2–23 Aug, 5.15pm.

(Gareth K Vile)

PRIVATE PEACEFUL

The folly of war through the eyes of a young soldier To mark the centenary of the beginning of World War I, Scamp Theatre’s award-winning adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful makes a welcome return to the Fringe.

Charting the life of young soldier Tommo Peaceful (Andy Daniel), a Devon-born private facing the firing squad, this is a poignant journey through the days that shaped him: early school memories, losing his father, falling in love and facing the front line. Unsentimental and bracing, it brings an intimate perspective to the most brutal conflict of the 20th century.

Simon Reade, who adapted and directed Morpurgo’s novel, is sure that the centenary will add a new poignancy to the story. ‘As a whole new generation of young people are doubly exposed to the ongoing political controversies of World War I – witness Michael Gove’s jingoistic revisionism – they become painfully aware of the inhumanity of arm-to-arm combat that still rages across the globe,’ he says. More than a period piece, Reade’s production becomes a symbol of war’s horror.

Having first staged the play a decade ago, Morpurgo himself is closely involved with the production, often attending auditions, and is a close friend of Reade, who describes him as ‘an inspiring collaborator, who has a keen eye and an astute ear for the theatre’. The enormous success of Morpurgo's War Horse might be ascribed to the puppetry, but it's his storytelling that drives both the novel and its adaptation.

Bringing the horrors of war to a stage is a massive challenge, particularly when created for a mostly family audience, but Reade believes that ‘no amount of high-tech effects or blood and gore would ever be as effective as our imagination’.

Private Peaceful is a sensitive yet brutally honest evocation of the folly of war, through the eyes of a young man, and a life cruelly curtailed. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug (not 13), 2.45pm, £11–£12.50 (£10.50–£11).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

BEOWULF THE BLOCKBUSTER

The first British superhero takes centre stage Following its acclaimed run at the 2013 Dublin International Festival, Beowulf the Blockbuster has its UK debut at the Fringe this year. Written and performed by award-winning actor Bryan Burroughs, his dynamic solo performance repurposes the epic poem to portray the relationship between a father and son with added Spielbergian monsters. As Burroughs says, ‘It’s also the first real action story hence the blockbuster part of the title.’

The promise of silver-screen superheroes becoming woven into the action alongside Beowulf rests on the expressive acrobatics of Burroughs himself, for aside from a few tricks of time and place ‘everything else is created in the moment by the actor,’ he says.

Burroughs focuses on evoking the silly and the sublime, the enchanted and the real, and promises an experience in which ‘we can meet each other, the audience and I, and hopefully together take this journey with this boy and his da.’ (Elliot Roberts) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 12.50pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10). Previews 30 Jul, 1 Aug, £6.

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Previews | FESTIVAL THEATRE

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DOUGLAS JONES / DAMIAN SHIELDS

SLEEPING BEAUTY

KLIP

13 SUNKEN YEARS

‘I ended up putting myself at the centre of my own fairy story. What comes across in this show is me as a teenager, growing up in a broken home in Liverpool, and all these years later living and working as a puppeteer in France. How did that happen?’ Colette Garrigan’s own story – from Bootle via far-flung Réunion Island to actor and puppeteer in Normandy – is as striking as the ageold tale of Sleeping Beauty that she brings to life.

But her Ken Loach-inspired reinterpretation deals with gritty issues of drugs, abuse and delinquency.

‘This is Liverpool in the 1980s, when Thatcher was in full flow. It’s about how a princess, in a kingdom devastated by famine and unemployment, can use her imagination so that rather than plunging into despair, she imagines better ways out.’

Garrigan’s one-woman bilingual production – with a small amount of French, and a lot of blackly humorous Liverpudlian English – contrasts its dark storyline with the far brighter poetry of its puppetry and shadow theatre, where forks become forests.

‘It’s about using very ordinary objects that, like people, if they’re used in the right way, can blossom into something magical.’ (David Kettle) ■ Sleeping Beauty, Institut français, 225 5366, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 1pm, £10 (£8). Preview 1 Aug, £5.

By inviting audiences to discover ‘what happens inside the head of a chicken’, among other things, Denmark's Livingstones Kabinet are claiming a surreal, comic high ground that trails back through British comedy.

Pete Livingstone, co-founder and composer, admits the company is rooted in the Dada style. But far from pastiche, Klip follows the spirit of anarchic live artists through a contemporary devising process. ‘The show was put together by playing parlour games to generate material,’ he explains.

Director and co-founder Nina Kareis elaborates.

‘It is a real experiment! The reaction we have had so far is that some people find it hilarious, some find it very moving, but no-one has seen anything like it.’

Yet Klip isn’t a trivial bunch of sketches.

‘We ended up with random juxtapositions which we threw together,’ says Kareis. ‘We wanted to take random and not important elements and put them on stage. Then it is basically about the fragmentation of our day and age . . . ' Livingstone interrupts: ‘and the whole universe falling to pieces.

And we are all fucked. But apart from that, it is a very entertaining evening.’ (Gareth K Vile) ■ Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 5–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 5.20pm, £11 (£9). Previews 1–3 Aug, £6 (£5).

Fifteen years after moving to Scotland, Finnishborn director Maria Oller is bringing a piece of work from her native land to the Scottish stage. A co-production between Finnish National Theatre, Stellar Quines and Lung Ha, 13 Sunken Years is set in an isolated rural community. The story of three generations of women, it could just as easily be set in the Shetlands, Orkneys or Outer Hebrides as a Finnish village with multiple dots above the ‘A’s.

Muriel Romanes of Stellar Quines suggested working with Oller on a Finnish play: after much reading and a couple of dry runs, the pair decided on 13 Sunken Years, named best play in Finland in 2012. It has been translated for this production

by Eva Buchwald, a dramaturg at Finnish National Theatre who has adapted the script to incorporate the casting of two of Lung Ha’s disabled actors.

What appeals, says Oller, is ‘the harshness of the climate and nature, the way people in remote places are always dreaming but have to face reality’. Is the big, unknown world better than the restricted one at home? And are the ties of family stronger than the desire to break out and explore? These are universal issues, wherever they unfold. (Anna Burnside) ■ Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 11–24 Aug (not 18), 2.05pm, £13 (£9).

Gritty bilingual reinterpretation of classic fable

Death and despair and comedy fun

Multi-generational rural drama from Finland

THE DIRTY TALK

Two men dig deep into their secret selves Michael Puzzo was already an established actor with the New York-based Labyrinth company when he finally turned his hand to play-writing. ‘The writers were always encouraging me to write, but I was worried that it would be shit,’ he laughs.

‘But every summer Labyrinth do a retreat. I went up there one summer. I was just coming off a horrible break-up. I found myself in a room and I thought: fuck it, I am going to write a play. I figured if I didn’t do it then, I never would.’

When the artistic directors Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz saw the draft of The Dirty Talk, ‘they said: we are going to do a reading of it on Friday.’ And now the play makes its debut in the UK. Puzzo is good humoured about its success. ‘I say I am an actor and a writer,’ he explains. ‘It’s funny: when I was reviewed, some people called it a thriller, but I don’t think you can put a label on it. It is not a light piece – it is a lot about masculinity – but I think it is funny.’

Puzzo’s enthusiasm for theatre and his modest wit are reflected in the script, although his humour is never disruptive of the plot or the character’s gradual revelations. Revolving around the intense conversation of two men trapped in a cabin, The Dirty Talk has that serious comedy tone familiar from the likes of Sam Shepard, examining big issues with a subtle touch and an eye for powerful confrontation.

The two men – one seems on the edge of exploding, the other a mild-mannered internet addict – might be in a hunting cabin, but there is more to their meeting than first meets the eye. ‘I set out to write Long Day’s Journey into Night and then I show it to an audience,’ says Puzzo, ‘and it is a Jerry Lewis movie!’ (Gareth K Vile) ■ C, 0845 260 1234, 30 Jul–Aug 25 (not 12), 4.10pm, £9.50–£10,50 (£7.50 –£8.50).

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Previews

HORIZONTAL COLLABORATION / CITY OF THE BLIND

Scottish pioneer's double whammy of political intrigue and horror David Leddy is looking for actors. Since his new play, Horizontal Collaboration, requires a fresh cast of four for every performance, he needs about 120 of them to see him through the Fringe. And no one can do it twice.

Leddy, whose works include comic take on the art world, Long Live the Little Knife and audio play Susurrus, likes to break new ground with each new project. Horizontal Collaboration and its companion piece, City of the Blind – a downloadable drama for phone or tablet – are political thrillers about the work of the United Nations.

‘It’s an organisation that overshadows all of our lives but most of us know little about how it works,' he says. ‘I’m interested in whether or not the UN is a good thing. One of its major failures is the problem of peacekeeping soldiers abusing local people. Also, its track record for dealing with whistleblowers is pretty shabby.’

While City of the Blind tells the story of a whistleblower trapped in a web of surveillance and counter-intelligence, Horizontal Collaboration is about four UN lawyers brought in at short notice to read the testimonies in a tribunal relating to the wife of an African warlord.

The plays are a mixture of research and fiction, though Leddy notes: ‘Unfortunately, the most outrageous and horrible things are true.’

‘City of the Blind is a big, epic, complicated narrative in six parts, the theatrical equivalent of a DVD box set,' he says. ‘Horizontal Collaboration is a tight, minimal hour. They’re like a vast symphonic work and a chamber piece. I’m interested in manipulating what theatre is . . . I don’t think people are worried about what form it takes as long as there are real stories, real emotions and real questions about how the world works.’ (Susan Mansfield) ■ Horizontal Collaboration, Traverse, 228 1404, 1–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), times vary, £18 (£13). Preview 31 Jul, £12 (£7); City of the Blind, Traverse,1–24 Aug, online download at davidleddy.com, £8.99.

PHOTO © ACK WALKER

MANUELITA

PARTY IN THE USA!

CUTTING OFF KATE BUSH

'As a South American, you somehow automatically know about Simón Bolívar’, says Tamsin Clarke. ‘He is a hero and an ingrained part of history. However, I had never heard about Manuela Sáenz. She was supposedly his lover and companion for many years.’

Written and performed by Clarke, accompanied by award-winning guitarist Camila Menjura, Manuelita is a journey through the life of Manuela Saenz (1795–1856). ‘She was a fighter – believing in a cause and working hard to see it through til the end,' Clarke adds. ‘She overcame the tedious rigors of society and made changes in opinion in a rigid world that was very male orientated.’

Clarke spent time in South America (including her mother’s native Venezuela) tracking down stories of Manuelita, then weaving them into a musical performance to show off the good and the bad of a woman who excited a revolutionary continent.

It's an honest retelling of the Bolívar tale through an unsung female hero. Clarke concludes: ‘She is a true legend – part fact, part fiction and full of fancy!’

(Barry Cooper) ■ Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 12), 12.40pm, £8–£12 (£7–£10). Previews 31 Jul & Aug 1, £6.

Twentieth century theatre loved a post-apocalyptic script: from Samuel Beckett’s bleak visions of loneliness to the total war of Caryl Churchill’s Far Away. For director Joshua William Gelb, an afternoon spent shredding documents while on LSD gave him a unique insight into the Credit Crunch, the first apocalypse of the 21st century.

‘I tripped for the first time back in 2008, when I was temping at Deutsche Bank’, says Gelb. ‘My job was to go through company emails that could potentially incriminate the bank. I just put in my hours, got paid, and partied on the weekends.’

Playwright David McGee uses acid as a metaphor for the disorienting effects that the collapse of the economy had on everyone. With wild humour, a dynamic physical theatre approach that mirrors the impact of psychedelic drugs, and a plot flitting from New York penthouses to anarchic Berlin squats, Party in the USA! is a belligerent, yet thoughtful critique on the chaos of economic corruption.

As McGee concludes, the financial crisis is far from over: ‘things are falling apart and the centre is as sure as hell not holding.’ (Gareth K Vile) ■ Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 3pm £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

With Kate Bush touring for the first time in 35 years, Cutting off Kate Bush arrives at the right time. Lucy Benson-Brown channels the Gothic undertones of Bush’s music to create a new take on family politics, with young Cathy returning home and attempting to come to terms with her father’s new relationship.

Certainly no tribute act, the play explores the tragedy and comedy of moving back home and it is the honesty of Bush’s music that makes for ideal theatre, according to Benson-Brown. ‘I remember being aware of Kate Bush as a teenager, I vividly remember ‘Wuthering Heights’ . . . and my mum singing along’, says Benson-Brown. ‘Bowie, Pink Floyd, Bananarama, Genesis, Spandau Ballet, perhaps even Madonna, would have shaped a similar story because it’s inspired by the music that my parents listened to, it’s just that they wouldn’t offer the same magic as Kate Bush. Her music lends itself so well to dramatisation.’

Featuring hits from the eccentric songstress as well as Bush-influenced dance routines, it promises to capture the revived passion for the ethereal Kate Bush while telling a very human tale. (Barry Cooper) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 1.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

Unsung female revolutionary in the spotlight

Dynamic physical take on economic collapse

Eccentric songstress inspires new family drama

82 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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GO DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND BEG!' AUCKLAND METRO

BRILLIANT HARMONIES, HUMOUR & FUNKY 70s STYLE!' NEW ZEALAND HERALD

DIRECT FROM SELL≠ OUT SEASONS IN NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA 19:15 (20:30) 31 JUL - 25 AUG 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 83

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Day Planner

7PM

Leave no hour unfilled: Gareth K Vile and Yasmin Sulaiman pick out theatre highlights, so you can stuff your dramatic calendar from morning to night.

Bond! Gavin Robertson returns with his

comic parody of 007, his spying chums and enemies. ZOO, 622 6892, 3–24 Aug (not 12), 7.45pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).

Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £6.

10AM

21 Things You Should Know About Toronto’s Crack-Smoking Mayor

We hear all about Toronto’s infamous crack-smoking mayor Rob Ford from one of his die-hard fans. New show from Toronto Fringe favourites DeCo. Sweet Grassmarket, 243 3596, 3–24 Aug, 7.50pm, £8.50 (£7.50). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £5.

The Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show See a selection of ten-minute

international plays before anyone else at the festival is even awake. There’ll be free coffee, croissants and strawberries too. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 12), 10.30am, £12–£12.50 (£11–£11.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.50.

8PM

11AM

Before Us More surreal comedy

from Adelaide Fringe Theatre Awardwinner Stuart Bowden, whose past shows include She Was Probably Not a Robot, Doctor Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and His Singing Tiger and The Lounge Room Confabulators.

Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 8.10pm, £10.50–£9.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

The Fair Intellectual Club Stand-up

Lucy Porter’s first ever play explores an underground society for the education of women in 1717, when men ruled the world of the mind and women were simply expected to be pretty. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 11am, £10 (£9). Preview 31 Jul, £9 (£8).

A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts Lyric Hammersmith’s

NOON Early Doors Theatre about pub culture performed in the Jinglin’ Geordie pub in Fleshmarket Close, from socially alert company None Too Tame. Pleasance Pop-Up: The Pub, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 19), 12pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, 12pm, £6.

The Pitiless Storm On the eve of Scotland’s referendum, a left-wing trade unionist questions his political and moral beliefs. Starring David Hayman, best known for his role as DCS Mike Walker on ITV’s Trial and Retribution.

Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 12.30pm, £15 (£13).

Preview 31 Jul, £12 (£10).

1PM Running Into Me Written and

performed by Vickie Tanner, this is her autobiographical journey as she escapes the mean streets of Compton to reach the bright lights of New York City. Underbelly, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 1.20pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

Mock Tudor Working as a Tudor in historical recreations is no protection from the challenges of modern life.

New comedy from the writer of Stephen and the Sexy Partridge. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 1.45pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

2PM My Obsession In her debut

30-minute play, Impro Chum Suki Webster plays a superfan who gets to meet her idol: a comedian played by fellow Impro Chum, Have I Got News For You’s Paul Merton. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–16 Aug, 2.30pm, £7–£9 (£6–£8). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £5.

Baba Brinkman – The Rap Guide to Religion ‘Peer reviewed rapper’

Brinkman gets scientific on matters spiritual. Hip hop meets scepticism meets religious belief. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 2.30pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.

Blind Hamlet Nassim Soleimanpour – the writer of global hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit – confronts his loss of sight and reading Hamlet for the first time. Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 12, 18), 2.50pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £10.

Secret Theatre Company promises a different show every night in a celebration of the human spirit. Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 477 6630, 4–17 Aug (not 7, 14), 8.15pm, £14 (£11).

Previews 31 Jul–3 Aug (not 1), £11.

9PM Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho Margaret Thatcher loses her

THE TRIAL OF JANE FONDA Academy Award-nominee Anne Archer (Fatal Attraction, Clear and Present Danger) brings some glitz and glamour to this year’s Fringe. In this new show – written and directed by her husband, Emmy-winning producer and director Terry Jastrow – Archer plays Hollywood star Jane Fonda (Coming Home, On Golden Pond) who courted controversy as a prominent anti-war activist.

■ Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 4.05pm, £16 (£13). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £10.

3PM Pomme is French for Apple And pum is West Indian for a woman’s private parts. Comic vignettes that meditate on the eternal feminine, from Jamaica, Toronto and London. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 13), 3.20pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.

4PM Broke Verbatim theatre that shares real-

by the surveillance scandals, set entirely in the dark and lit with LED torches.

Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 18), 5.15pm, £10–£13 (£8.50–£12). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.50.

Black Faggot Part of the New Zealand Season, this hit of the Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals explores what it’s like to be young, gay and Samoan.

Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 5.30pm, £11.50–£12.50 (£10.50–£11.50). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £7.

life stories from the frontline of poverty and debt in the UK. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 12), 4.10pm, £9–£12 (£8–£11). Previews 30 Jul– 1 Aug, £6.

Boxman Boxman had a nervous breakdow. Now he seeks true love in ASDA and fights off the bullying of the meat-counter man in this one-man dark comedy. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug, 4.15pm, £10 (£8.50).

Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £5.

6PM

5PM

A theatrical, journalistic docu-drama about the traumatic indoctrination suffered by victims of the global sex trafficking industry. C cubed, 0845 260 1234, 31 Jul–25 Aug (not 12), 6.30pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£8.50).

Light Following last year’s hit Ballad of the Burning Star, Theatre Ad Infinitum return with a show inspired

ViewMaster Poet Ryan Van Winkle

and musician Dan Gorman offer 15 minutes of world travel through a personal, playful journey. A personal show, part of the Made in Scotland showcase. Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 5–24 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), every 15 mins from 2–3.45pm & 6–7.45pm, £5 (£4).

Previews 1–4 Aug, £4.

Broken Dolls (Razbitye Kuklu)

bearings in Soho and inadvertently becomes a cabaret star. How could you miss it? Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 9.10pm, £10–£13 (£9–£12). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £8 (£7).

The Post Show Philadelphia-based trio the Berserker Residents let the audience sit in on their post-show discussion.

Part scripted, part improv, part audience contributions. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 9.40pm, £12–£15. Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.

10PM Biding Time (Remix) One woman’s

story of what it takes to succeed in the music industry told through a silent disco remix, from musician Louise Quinn and Grid Iron co-artistic director Ben Harrison. Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, 7–23 Aug (not 10, 11, 14–16, 18, 22), 10.20pm, £12 (£9). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

City of the Blind Downloadable political thriller from award-winning writer and director David Leddy, composed of six 30-minute chapters. A double bill with live show Horizontal Collaboration. Online at davidleddy. com (with Traverse), 228 1404, 1–24 Aug, £8.99.

11PM Bloody Trams Following its successful

run at the Traverse in the spring, the debate over Edinburgh’s controversial trams rages on in this verbatim piece based on testimonies from local people.

Traverse, 228 1404, 5–10 Aug, 11pm, £12 (£10).

The Generation of Z: Edinburgh

Maybe you’ll feel like a zombie by the third week of the Fringe, but this show features real, live zombies. Interactive horror a la New Zealand, where you’ll be fighting to save yourself from the undead. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11, 19), 9pm & 11.30pm, £12. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £8.

84 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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VISUAL ART

LIST.CO.UK /FESTIVAL

HITLIST THE BEST EXHIBITIONS

PHOTO © TOM NOLAN

Ross Sinclair

✽

Isa Genzken: Botanical Garden See review, left. Inverleith House, 248 2971, until 28 Sep, free.

✽

Ross Sinclair: 20 Years of Real Life Solo show that celebrates the 20th anniversary of Ross Sinclair’s Real Life projects while launching another. See review, page 90. Collective Gallery, 556 1264, until 31 Aug, free.

Art Late An evening programme of late openings, performances, artist talks and tours across the city. See preview, page 92. Various venues throughout Edinburgh, 7, 12 & 21 Aug, free (booking essential).

ISA GENZKEN: BOTANICAL GARDEN

✽

Nalini Malani: In Search of Vanished Blood Videos and shadow play dedicated to the ongoing wars across the world projected onto the Western facade of the Scottish National Gallery on the Mound.

Scottish National Gallery, 624 6200, 4 Aug, 10.30pm, free.

Eccentric sculptural and collage works both irreverent and serious he frenetic energy that resonates in Isa Genzken’s playful assemblages and eccentric collages has been harnessed

by Inverleith House in Botanical Garden, Genzken’s first UK solo show outside London. The exhibition is both an exhilarating celebration of an artist who has worked tirelessly across mediums and movements, and an opportunity to contemplate the past ten years of her practice.

A room filled with faceless mannequins dressed in bright, trashy clothes and straitjacketed in cling film and metallic tape opens the exhibition. Despite their restrictions, they seem to power-walk through the centre of the space. A painting of Donald Duck stacked on storage containers pre-empts a billboardsized collage where Renaissance paintings are lacquered alongside portraits of the artist and shiny reflective grounds – pools of colour where the audience also emerge.

Upstairs there are two new works selected by

curator Paul Nesbitt and taken straight from Genzken’s Berlin studio. These pastiches of photographs, toy characters, car wing mirrors and gas masks are suffocated by blue spray paint and stacked on top of translucent pillars.

The works are poised at angles that force the viewer into awkward positions, mirroring the cumbersome nature of the assemblages.

In one instant these recent pieces appear as excited congregations of form and colour, the next morose tributes of remembrance where obituaries, old newspaper cuttings and photographs of the artist as a young woman are unpicked from the debris.

Like each urgent splash of paint, Genzken’s practice swishes quickly and unpredictably between irreverence and seriousness, and we’ll never be sure where she intended it to settle.

(Rachael Cloughton).

Inverleith House, 248 2971, until 28 Sep, free. ●●●●●

✽

Counterpoint New works commissioned for the Edinburgh Art Festival by some of Scotland’s most promising emerging artists. See feature, page 88. Talbot Rice Gallery, 650 2210, until 18 Oct, free.

COURTESY THE ARTISTS

T

PHOTO © SHILPA GUPTA

✽

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Augusto Corrieri and Vincent Gambini The traditional techniques of theatre and magic shows are deconstructed in this playful exhibition through film and new performance work. See preview, page 92.

Rhubaba, rhubaba.org, until 31 Aug, free.

31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 85

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86 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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Tessa Lynch | FESTIVAL VISUAL ART

list.co.uk/festival val

TESSA LYNCH, RAISING, 2014, COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND JUPITER ARTLAND

RAISING THE ROOF Tessa Lynch’s new artwork for Jupiter Artland invites audiences to construct a house in an afternoon. David Pollock gives it a go

‘I

think we’ll just press on,’ says Tessa Lynch, eyeing the steel grey skies warily.

The drizzle hasn’t stopped all morning, with signs suggesting it’s only going to get worse. The group of 12 volunteers assembled around her in the courtyard of Jupiter Artland nod in agreement and follow her along the untreated lane to the former orchard of Bonnington House.

After all, she asked us here to build a house in an afternoon, and that’s what we’re going to do.

The ‘house’, it transpires, is a flat, raised wooden foundation erected on the gravel patch in the centre of the orchard, and a number of monolithic black wooden slabs laid alongside – some with exposed panels or Perspex ‘windows’ – that can be slotted into grooves on the foundation to create simulated walls.

Before we start, Lynch gives us a health and safety briefing and hands out protective gloves and hats, and we communally design the finished site on a chessboard-sized scale model.

The Glasgow-based artist also explains why this participatory art piece is what she wanted to

contribute to the Scotland-wide GENERATION contemporary art project. The foundation we’re standing on, she says, is 96 metres square, which is the footprint of the average UK family home. It feels neither smaller nor larger than you might expect. She’s interested in traditional and modern attitudes towards what constitutes a home and how you build one – for example, the old Amish tradition of barn raising, where the men of the village come together to build a barn and the women cook their meal of celebration afterwards.

It’s not a division of labour that Lynch is keen to recreate, but she likes the sense of community within that process. On Dartmoor, she continues, there used to be an assumed law of ‘land claiming’ whereby anyone who could build a house and light a fire in the hearth by sunset was allowed to keep the land, a process that required the consent and assistance of the community.

Of course the building and ownership of property is now also a deeply political subject.

She mentions planning minister Nick Boles’

Right to Build scheme, the descendant of Right to Buy. ‘Not that I’m advocating that,’ says Lynch, ‘but maybe the UK is ready for something like it?’ Property shows have given us the vocabulary to discuss building our own homes, she says, so now we just need the tools.

Even in this simplified two-hour format, we’re brought nearer to the experience – shrugging off the rain, talking to one another, getting caught up in the process. When we finish, Lynch pours cups of lemonade in place of mead, a traditional payment that was often brewed in Lindisfarne, reminding us that land ownership is rarely more disputed than across borders.

‘Most of the artists I know don’t own their own homes,’ she says as we throw our empty paper cups on the brazier, our makeshift hearth, ‘so to create a work and claim that space is what gives us a sense of ownership.’

Tessa Lynch’s Raising, Jupiter Artland, 01506 889900, 2, 17 & 23 Aug, 6 & 20 Sep, free. To participate contact enquiries@jupiterartland.org 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 87

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FESTIVAL VISUAL ART | Counterpoint

NEXT N O I T A R GENE rary add to the story of contempo to s pe ho n itio hib ex int po ter Talbot Rice’s Coun Rhona Taylor finds out more it. at pe re t jus an th r he rat d, art in Scotlan

T

albot Rice Gallery is doing GENERATION with a twist. It is one of 60 venues taking part in Scotland’s biggest ever showcase of art – a huge national event celebrating the work of the country’s artists over the past 25 years – but when the project was announced, Talbot Rice’s principal curator decided she wanted to do things a little differently.

‘When GENERATION came about, I had a touch of the awkward squad about me,’ Pat Fisher says. ‘I didn’t want to just do a monograph exhibition of an artist within that period. I toyed with various things but none of them seemed the right fit. We wanted to find out what we could do that would add to the story, not just repeat it.’

To move the story on, the gallery selected eight artists to take part in Counterpoint, a series of solo shows that Fisher says will come together and resonate with one another across Talbot Rice’s unique gallery spaces. ‘These artists are in the vanguard of the art world,’ Fisher adds. ‘They are the vectors of something new rather than something that follows on.’

The eight artists include Michelle Hannah and Shona Macnaughton, who have both used performance to respond to the institutional architecture of the gallery, part of the University of Edinburgh. Hannah used the university’s Playfair Library for ‘Statue’, the first recording of one of her singing performances, in which she used lasers to refract off her sequin-covered face.

‘Universities as old as Edinburgh are aware of the historic tradition they come from, but it’s also a place of new ideas,’ Fisher says. ‘That idea of the laboratory and of experimentation – of risk-taking – is something we try to fold into our exhibition approach. In this show we’re giving artists the opportunity to develop their own work, so it’s also creating this other counterpoint about what is the association between a visual art installation and performance art.’

There is a strong element of performance throughout the show, which is part of the Edinburgh Art Festival. As well as an evening of live work held in the gallery on 16 August, performance forms the basis of much of the work on display. ‘Performance is coming back,’ Fisher adds. ‘It’s not as it was in the 1970s – it’s a new type of performance. It looks at the notion of what performance might be and how you record it, how you create a stage scenario.’

In the main gallery space, Andrew Miller has created a breakfast bar that will act as a meeting point, while Craig Mulholland presents

‘POTEMKIN FUNKTION’, an installation that includes sound work and a custom-made bowling alley. In the upper gallery space, Alec Finlay has created a multimedia work looking at satellite communication, GPS navigation and the spacial memory of bees.

In the Georgian Gallery, Ellie Harrison has installed one of two pieces in the show that reference the Scottish independence referendum on 18 September – the other being Ross Birrell’s work for his ‘Envoy’ project, in which he will throw a metal cast of Heisenberg’s uncertainty equation into the Firth of Clyde on the day of the vote.

For her work, ‘After The Revolution, Who Will Clean Up The Mess?’, Harrison has installed four confetti cannons and a detonator bearing the word ‘Yes’ in the gallery. For the first 48 days of the exhibition, her work will sit quietly alongside a series of sculptures

by Keith Farquhar – but if Scots vote for independence, the cannons will be detonated as part of a live internet broadcast on the night of the vote.

‘It’s a really over-the-top, ostentatious celebration creating a massive spectacle,’ Harrison says. ‘Within a space like the Georgian Gallery, something of that scale is almost completely overwhelming. It’s ambiguous – you’ve got all this confetti going everywhere, but you’re actually creating a massive mess that somebody’s going to have to clear up. In a gallery context you’re also doing something really inappropriate and temporarily defacing the other artworks.’

The work mirrors the sense of anticipation that exists in Scotland in relation to the referendum, Harrison says. ‘Nothing might happen – it could all be a massive anti-climax – but that’s what I’m interested in.

It’s the temptation to push the button, but without really knowing the chain of events that will unfold. That’s the situation I’m creating in the artwork.’

The performance aspect of the work is something Harrison says engages people, creating an experience rather than a commodity out of her art. ‘I’m drawn to performance because I’m drawn to anything that can create an atmosphere. That’s why I like to use humour because it’s a way of engaging people across the board. Whether they think it’s art or not, they’ll understand it on some sort of level.’

Counterpoint, Talbot Rice Gallery, 650 2210, 1 Aug–18 Oct, free. Watch Ellie Harrison’s webcast at ellieharrison.com/ aftertherevolution

88 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

N ‘Statue’, 2014, Michelle Hannah

‘It’s a really over-the-top celebration creating a massive spectacle’ COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

‘After The Revolution, Who Will Clean Up The Mess?, 2014, Ellie Harrison 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 89

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PRIVATE VIEW

THE HONOURABLE KEVIN HARMAN Kevin Harman wants his most interesting audience members to become part of his top-secret show

Where did the ‘Honourable’ title come from?

I didn’t like the name Kevin, so I had to come up with something that distracted from it. ‘Honourable’ comes from speaking to a lawyer friend of mine and having a laugh about some of his clients — one guy kept writing to everybody as the Honourable, and using a load of other titles, which I just loved. But I honour what I say I’m going to do so I guess I kind of am. I’m going to start feeding it outside of the art world as well and see how far I get.

What are you looking forward to seeing during the festival?

This year there’s GENERATION, so there’s absolute art overload and maybe a bit of the spectacle has been taken off the festival.

But personally I’m looking forward to seeing Craig Coulthard’s work at Trinity Apse, and the Jim Lambie show at the Fruitmarket.

I helped put one of his floors down when I was a nipper at art college — really inspirational. There’s so much going on in Scottish art right now, there’s definitely something there.

(Interview by Rhona Taylor) ■ Old Ambulance Depot, 1–31 Aug (Wed, Fri & Sun), noon–4pm, free.

Inspiring mixed-media exhibition on Calton Hill ●●●●●

Twenty years ago, Ross Sinclair had the words ‘Real Life’ tattooed on his back. Since then, his work has been an overt process of trying to figure out what these words mean. In this GENERATION show, there appear to be no conclusions, but there’s certainly a sense that Glasgow School of Art graduate and lecturer Sinclair hasn’t chosen interests that are external to him to compile this work. Crammed into the vaulting old City Observatory dome at the top of Calton Hill, it seems explicit that these mounds of pop cultural ephemera are integrally tied to Sinclair’s own self-image, much like the tattoo his younger self chose.

The space is crowded. On one wall a large banner curves, reading ‘100 Years of Real Life’ and marking out dates from 1994 to 2094. Sinclair and his tattoo are unlikely to be around then, but in the mechanics of this show a sense of immortality is hinted at. Surrounding the banner and crowding it in on the wall are the results (or possibly demonstration attempts painted by Sinclair) of daily ‘paint what you think’ sessions using the materials provided. ‘The best thing I ever made was a mess,’ says one, tellingly.

Elsewhere stands a podium decked with instruments and a stage with more guitars and drums plugged in. This sub-installation is the nub of the project: the instruments will be given away to 20 teenagers who commit to form five bands at the end of the exhibition, with Sinclair and others mentoring the groups afterwards. It’s a lovable and certainly useful idea, which clearly plays upon Sinclair’s thoughts on his own mortality and the purpose of his work. What is his art for? This show suggests that we create to encourage others to create. (David Pollock) ■ Collective Gallery, 556 1264, until 31 Aug, free.

PHOTO COURTESY RSA © STUART MCADAM

What can you tell us about your Edinburgh Art Festival show?

I’ve been working on four or five projects — they require a degree of covert delivery so I can’t say too much. Once the space is open in August, folk will come round for the open studio and they’ll be able to discuss the work and have an input into how the projects go ahead. I’ll be hosting a few events after hours as well, with an invited audience to be part of the project I’m building in the studio at the moment. We’ll pick the most interesting people who come to the studio, and I’ll invite them back for this larger event on two evenings a week, which should be quite funky.

REVIEW ROSS SINCLAIR: 20 YEARS OF REAL LIFE

REVIEW RSA: OPEN DIALOGUES

Group show from six New Contemporaries artists ●●●●●

It’s six years since the annual RSA Student Exhibition morphed into New Contemporaries, a selected show for new graduates chosen from all Scotland’s art schools. As part of GENERATION, the RSA is showing new work by six of those artists, one for each year since New Contemporaries began.

What emerges is a dialogue around landscape. The highly textured abstract paintings of Eva Ullrich are suggestive of weather and the elements, while Ade Adesina describes the encroachment of the urban and its impact on the environment in his superb etchings. Geri Loup Nolan demonstrates something of her practice in a ‘distilled reworking’ of her studio, a set of new collages and an artist’s book inspired by a recent residency in Ireland.

Johnny Lyons’ perfomance work includes detonating a box of fireworks in front of himself and smoking down the barrel of a rifle, while Stuart McAdam’s work (pictured) is a series of journeys documented by photographs, films and objects. (Susan Mansfield) ■ Royal Scottish Academy, 624 6556, until 31 Aug, free.

90 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014

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FESTIVAL VISUAL ART | Previews and Reviews

PREVIEW SUSAN HILLER: RE-SOUNDING

New film based on cultural and cosmic phenomena Re-Sounding combines audio effects from the Big Bang and other cosmic phenomena with stories told by people who think they have seen visitors from outer space, and also explores references to dreaming.

‘I’m interested in cultural phenomena, no matter how crazy or weird they seem,’ Hiller says. 'We don’t take dreaming seriously enough. It gives us two kinds of being, and some of these people are getting into that area without being mystics or mad. They’ve just had a surprising thing happen, and they’re desperately trying to tell us about it.’

Hiller has also worked with curator Paul Robertson, relating her work to his collection from other artists. ‘This is an experiment for me,’ she says. ‘I’m willing to engage with the public, and this is an opportunity to do it. Summerhall is a strange and interesting place – it’s very adventurous.’

‘Edinburgh has a great atmosphere in the festival, but people get very speedy.

If some of my work slows them down a little then I’ll be really happy — that would please me a lot.’ (Rhona Taylor) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, 1 Aug–26 Sep, free. See longer interview at list.co.uk/festival

It may lack something of the blockbuster appeal of the GENERATION shows but, in looking back at the American art scene of the late 19th century’s engagement with European impressionism, festivalgoers will at least be offered a traditional alternative to the slew of thoroughly contemporary Scottish works featured elsewhere.

American Impressionism: A New Vision is a study of influences as much as exponents, beginning with Mary Cassatt’s friendship with a Parisian set including Edgar Degas and Berthe Morisot, and following on with John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassan and others’ tutelage under Claude Monet.

Each artist’s work is extensively represented, but it’s in the final of four themed segments – an investigation of latterday American subjects – that the show’s brief really comes alive. William Merritt Chase’s study of his wife and daughter on a path in Central Park, Dennis Miller Bunker’s idyllic view of a white cottage set in lush green grass and Hassan’s vivid reproductions of the Chicago World Fair and Commonwealth Avenue in Boston all ring with a sense of place and historic vibrancy. (David Pollock) ■ Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Two, 624 6200, until 19 Oct, £8 (£6).

PREVIEW ART LATE

Contemporary art after dark at venues across the city Bringing together a mixture of specially programmed exhibitions, artist talks, live music and performance, Art Late is back to indulge audiences after opening hours.

Sorcha Carey, director of the Edinburgh Art Festival, remarks that ‘what makes Art Late so special (apart from the trolley bag filled with beer) is the real intensity and energy of the occasion.’

With the geographical growth of the festival, Art Late has evolved from one singular event to Art Late North and Art Late South, which are this year joined by Art Late Central. As well as a multifaceted exhibition lineup, there will be live music at Art Late North by Woven Tents and South by the Little Kicks.

The first Art Late this season kicks off with new kid on the block, Central, and will take in work at the Old Royal High School, Trinity Apse and the City Art Centre.

‘Art Late Central reflects the fact that our own festival programming is even more ambitious this year,' says Carey, 'and we wanted to have an opportunity to share our major exhibition, Where do I end and you begin, and some of our commissions with audiences out of hours.’ (Kirsty Neale) ■ Various locations, 226 6558, 7, 14 & 21 August, free.

PHOTO © LUCY CASH

The influence of European impressionism on 19th-century American art ●●●●●

© KUSHANA BUSH, RIOTERS (WHERE DO I END AND YOU BEING EXHIBITION)

© NEW BRITAIN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

REVIEW AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM: A NEW VISION

PREVIEW AUGUSTO CORRIERI AND VINCENT GAMBINI Performance and film works by an artist and magician

Artist Augusto Corrieri and magician Vincent Gambini both critically explore performance and the structures of theatre through their work for this year's Edinburgh Art Festival at Rhubaba Gallery and Studios.

Corrieri’s 2013 film Diorama will be exhibited in Rhubaba’s gallery space throughout August. Like sleight of hand magic, it reveals how gestures are (re)framed by the performance context and the way the stage influences how gestures are read and understood.

Gambini experiments with the misdirection of magic and performance but, despite his heavily deconstructed shows, the intrigue in his work remains intact. After witnessing it, Rhubaba codirector Siân Robinson Davies said: 'the magic was still mystifying while it was being demystified.'

As in Corrieri’s film, Gambini will be crafting his own performative deceptions using apparatuses of theatre and public performance. During the festival he will work in-residence at Rhubaba, developing a new piece, This is not a magic show!, whose final performance will take place at Pilrig St Paul's Church on Saturday 30 August. (Dane Sutherland) ■ Rhubaba, rhubaba.org, 2–31 August, free.

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HITLIST

THE BEST DANCEFLOOR ACTION

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Martyn No doubt a high-energy, sweaty rammy of a night, sped along by jungle, drum & bass, dubstep and techno, from the Hyperdub / Ninja Tune producer. Sneaky Pete’s, 225 1757, 31 Jul, 11pm, £8 before midnight.

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Summerhall Festival Opening Party The arts venue kicks off its Fringe programme with a suitably left-field lineup including Awesome Tapes from Africa, Golden Teacher and David Barbarossa. Summerhall, 560 1580, 1 Aug, 10pm, £10.

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Bill Brewster A night in the capable hands of the multi-talented DJ and author of dance bibles Last Night A DJ Saved My Life and How To DJ (Properly). Sneaky Pete’s, 225 1757, 1 Aug, 11pm, £5.

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Ben Klock If you like your techno deep, heavy and straight from Berghain, then kick your festival off with a marathon set from Berlin heavyweight Ben Klock. Liquid Room, 225 2564, 2 Aug, 11pm, £17.50 (£15).

FRINGE THURSDAYS

An intimate atmosphere and keen crowd bring in big clubbing names

F

or the last three years, city centre bar 99 Hanover Street has been drawing a crowd for a repertoire of in-house nights and DJs that would have it crowned one of the best clubs in Edinburgh were it not for the lack of a 3am licence. During festival time that all changes though, and once again they’re set to bring a fantastic bill of special guests to the city.

The 31 August closing party guest is unconfirmed as yet, but the Fringe Thursdays lineup will see Eddie Piller and Richard Searling report on 7 August, Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson guesting on 14 August, Grandmaster Flash (pictured) make a keenly anticipated appearance on 21 August and Detroit Swindle rounding off the run on 28 August. ‘Something tells me that Grandmaster Flash is going to be a bit special,’ says 99’s

Stephen Wilson. ‘He’s playing Razzmatazz a few days earlier in Barcelona, so hopefully we can recreate that experience for him. I was really into the acid jazz scene in my younger days, so I’m also looking forward to seeing the label’s founder Eddie Piller with Wigan Casino legend Richard Searling.’

As a clubbing experience, he says 99 is hard to describe. ‘One thing I’ve noticed is that all the DJs love the experience, and the crowd do too. We’re only a 180-capacity venue, but because of the elevated DJ position and the fact the crowd are right in front of it with no sense of separation, we have that intimate feeling that’s sometimes lacking in bigger venues.’ (David Pollock) 99 Hanover Street, 225 8200, Thursdays throughout Aug, 9pm, free.

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Thunder Disco Club The annual Fringe Heist from Glasgow disco collective, this time boasting two vaults and nine DJs covering house, disco, Italo and techno. Cabaret Votaire, 247 4704, 2 Aug, 11pm, £5–£7.

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Electro Swingin’ with Frogbeats Fans of Parov Stellar and Caravan Palace rejoice – Glasgow electro swing devotees Frogbeats are coming east for a one-off special, with some added ghetto funk. Limber up accordingly. Cabaret Voltaire, 247 4704, 3 Aug, 11pm, £5.

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HITLIST

THE BEST FILMS, FESTS & FOOD

CineFringe Film Festival See preview, left. Sweet Grassmarket, 243 3596, 31 Jul–3 Aug, 3pm, £16.50–£18.50 (£15–£17).

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Skeptics on the Fringe The longestrunning and most varied festival of scepticism gives daily informal talks on a wide range of topics where good old-fashioned evidence and reason is key to understanding.

Banshee Labyrinth, 226 0000, 2–23 Aug, 7.50pm, free.

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Airpuddle and Boxsmall An interactive play area for kids involving great big air pillows and a lot of bouncing. Adults, meanwhile, can browse the market, which provides the best in Scottish food, arts & crafts and design. Festival Square, 28 Jul–31 Aug, from 10am, free.

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CINEFRINGE The festival that fills a film-shaped gap in August

N

ow into its fifth year, small-scale short film festival CineFringe doesn’t exactly fill the hole left in August by the move of the Edinburgh International Film Festival to June.

Yet the fact it exists at all adds a welcome alternative to the live arts offerings on the rest of the Fringe, and it’s to be applauded for a resourcefulness and commitment to quality which has seen it survive and grow.

The idea came to director John Lynch when he found himself unable to screen a short film he’d made about the Fringe itself in 2009, so he resolved to return the next year and build an event which could accommodate similar work. The weekend-long festival had 40 entries in 2010; in 2014, more than 700.

‘This year’s highlights include the marvellous On Loop by Christine Hooper, featuring the voice of Scottish comedian Susan Calman,’

Auld Reekie Roller Girls: Good Things Come to Those Who Skate Thrills, spills and (probably) cake, as the lassies of roller derby get all argy bargy on the track. The Twisted Thistles and Cannon Belles take on a couple of English teams, including London’s Brawl Saints.

Meadowbank Sports Centre, 226 0000, 2 & 9 Aug, 2pm, £6.

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says Lynch, ‘and the immaculately presented Polish tribute to black-and-white New Wave film, The Cheater Day by Bartosz Warwas.’

He also picks out animation Marilyn Myller, voiced by Josie Long, and a 30th anniversary screening of Ghostbusters with live commentary by the cast of Superfan musical Who Ya Gonna Call?. ‘This year sees us move into a “proper” festival format with five or six screenings a day,’ he says.

‘We’ve also worked with architectural art duo Lamina to create a one-of-a-kind cardboard screen surround, featuring many concertina folds to create possibly the world’s first literally “pop-up” cinema.’ (David Pollock) Sweet Grassmarket, 243 3596, 31 Jul–3 Aug, from 3pm, £16.50–£18.50 (£15–£17).

Festival Detours Live theatre, poetry and art taking performers out of their comfort zone and placing them into unusual gallery surroundings.

Across the festival there are performances from theatremaker Eilidh MacAskill, writer / poet John Osborne, poet Luke Wright and Meursault. See preview, page 95. Various venues, 6, 12, 17 & 19 Aug, £4.

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Previews | FESTIVAL AROUND TOWN

PHOTO © CAITLIN COOKE

FIVE PLACES . . .

FOR TOP FRINGE FOOD FESTIVAL DETOURS

Musicians, poets and performers step outside their comfort zones Detours is a series of live shows by music, poetry and theatre artists taking place in galleries across the city. Part of Edinburgh Art Festival, it aims to bring a new audience to visual art by transforming the traditional gallery space.

This year there is a special focus on attracting all ages to the performances. ‘For the first time we have programmed a live theatre performance for families and young people,’ says Sorcha Carey, director of Edinburgh Art Festival. Eilidh MacAskill is collaborating with composer Greg Sinclair in an interactive piece at the City Art Centre which promises to straddle the line between visual art and theatre. The audience will participate as birds who cannot make it to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and Carey says she’ll be bringing her own son along to join in the fun.

Other highlights include a performance by master of spoken word Luke Wright, fresh from supporting legendary punk rock poet John Cooper Clarke on his UK tour. Set against the backdrop of Counterpoint at the Talbot Gallery, an exhibition showcasing boundary-pushing contemporary artists, it promises to be a quirky and entertaining evening. For music fans, Edinburgh-based band Meursault will perform their unique folktronica sound in an intimate gig at New Media Scotland amid the Alt-w exhibition.

‘The artists enjoy the opportunity to test out new materials and ideas and the audience not only gets to experience this live,’ says Carey, ‘but the performances also offer up new perspectives on the artworks or exhibition in which they take place.’ (Maud Sampson) ■ Various venues, 226 6558, 6, 12, 17 & 19 Aug, times vary, £4, see edinburghartfestival.com for more information.

TALKS & WORKSHOPS

SUMMERHALL EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Workshops and debates in an intriguing venue Former veterinary college Summerhall hosts a number of talks and workshops on topical subjects.

There's even one celebrating the venue and its purpose, in Kulturnomics: Summerhall’s Multi-Arts Strategy (18 Aug), while Urban Scale and Rural Sprawl (1 Aug) incorporates a tour of the venue’s hidden corridors into a discussion on rural and urban walking art with Deveron Arts, Alec Finlay and more.

The role of art is addressed across various events, including Artist as Activist (22 Aug) with Sri Lankan peace campaigner Chandragupta Thenuwara and The Artist as Healer (21 Aug), a debate on art within the health service, and a big-ticket discussion on issues facing society. Elsewhere, Political-Economy Parallels: Diverging UK, Europe, the World? (5 Aug) and Sovereign Secrets: Independence: The Known Unknowns (11 Aug) offer new perspectives on international politics and Scottish independence.

Other highlights include a Ron Butlin-hosted prose and poetry celebration from Europe’s northern isles in Northern Idyll (5–10 Aug) and creative workshops such as Devising Within a Democracy (2 Aug), led by Rachel Chavkin. (David Pollock) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, dates and times vary, prices vary, see summerhall.co.uk for more information.

For visiting festivalgoers, there’s no shortage of decent culinary pitstops in Edinburgh. But all that choice means it’s better to come prepared. Here are some of our favourites Ting Thai Caravan Having originated as a temporary festival pop-up, Ting Thai proved so popular it would have been sacrilege to simply close it down.

Thankfully, the owners agreed, which means this year’s festivalgoers can discover the stripped-back decor, informal dining and vibrant Thai street food for themselves. 8–9 Teviot Place, 225 9801.

Blackfriars Since emerging from the ashes of Black Bo’s, Blackfriars has quickly established itself as a more than worthy heir to its predecessors’ ‘cult fave’ mantle. The bistro provides the best in modern, seasonal dishes, while the adjoining bar serves up inventive snacks, shares and craft beers. Near many of the comedy venues, it’s ideal for when belly laughs turn to belly rumbles. 57–61 Blackfriars Street, 558 8684, blackfriarsedinburgh.co.uk The Atelier The newcomer that’s surprised everyone thanks to its high-end dishes at midrange prices and laid-back, personable atmosphere. A little off the beaten track, but still just a gentle saunter from the majority of the venues, making it a good choice for escaping the immediate Festival madness.

159–161 Morrison Street, 629 1344, theatelierrestaurant.co.uk The Gardener’s Cottage Like a good Fringe show should be, the Gardener’s Cottage was a challenging but welcome shock to the system when it opened in 2012. Sitting at communal tables, diners entrust their (affordable) evening entirely to the chefs, who conjure up a different six-course set menu each day, using only the best in locally sourced ingredients. 1 Royal Terrace Gardens, 558 1221, thegardenerscottage.co L’Escargot Bleu While the others on the list are all fairly recent additions to the scene, L’Escargot Bleu (and its sister restaurant L’Escargot Blanc) are trusty stalwarts. If the cooking is unashamedly French, the ingredients are proudly Scottish, thanks to chef-patron Fred Berkmiller’s admirable dedication to championing the produce and talent of his adopted homeland.

56 Broughton Street, 557 1600, lescargotbleu. co.uk (Keith Smith) All venues were recent award winners in our annual Eating & Drinking Guide. For more details, and for other ideas on eating out in Edinburgh, visit food.list.co.uk 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 95

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FESTIVAL INDEX

Festival INDEX 13 Sunken Years Adam Riches Adrienne Truscott Adventures of the Singing Acupuncturist

81 28 48 61

AIDS: A Survivor’s Story 42 Alan Bissett 20 Alan Davies 27 Alec Finlay 95 All Back to Bowie’s 20, 62 Alun Cochrane 48 American . . . ish 43 American Impressionism 92 And the Goat Remained a Goat 80 Andrew Doyle 33 Andrew Maxwell 45 Andy de la Tour 30 Anything’s Better Than These Cunts 42 Art Late 92 Artist as Activist 95 The Artist as Healer 95 Asian Dub Foundation 61 Athletes 52 Augusto Corrieri and Vincent Gambini 92 Aunty Donna 46 Austentatious 34 Baba Brinkman – The Rap Guide to Religion 84 Bacchanalia 60 Barbara and Yogashwara’s Safe Space 23 Baron Sternlock 34 BattleActs 34 Before Us 84 Beowulf the Blockbuster 80 Bianco 23 Biding Time (Remix) 84 The Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show 84 Big Red Bath 57 Black Faggot 68, 84 Black Grace 52 Blackout 74 Blind Hamlet 84 Blind Mirth 34 Blood Orange 77 Bloody Trams 74, 84 Bond!

84 Bonded by Blood 61 Boxman 84 Bridget Christie 14 Broke 84 Broken Dolls (Razbitye Kuklu) 84 Camilla Cleese 43 The Cat in the Hat 56 Celia Pacquola 48 Chalk About 57 Chandragupta Thenuwara 95 Chef 77 CineFringe 94 City of the Blind 82, 84 The Cleek 34 Clive Anderson 34 The Closure of Craig Solly 17 Come Heckle Christ 42 Confirmation 76 A Controversial Title in Order to Sell

Tickets Cort McCown Counterpoint Cuckooed Cutting off Kate Bush Dangerfield: Sex with Children Danish Face David Hayman Dan Clark Dean’s Silly Song Sing-Along Death Shall Have No Dominion Dean Friedman Detroit Swindle Deveron Arts Devising Within a Democracy The Dirty Talk Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian

Need help navigating your way around our Festival coverage? We’ve made a neat list of all the Festival shows covered in this issue right here. We’ll leave you to add your own highlighter pen notes or Biro scribbles around it, as you wish

42 43 88 17 82 42 67 20 48 57 80 57 93 95 95 81 70

Early Doors 84 Eddie Pepitone 48 Eddie Piller 93 Eilidh MacAskill 95 Emer Kenny 39 Emily Brown and the Thing 57 Ennio Marchetto 48 Eric and Little Ern 48 Erich McElroy 20 The Evolution will be Televised 13 Factor 9 77 The Fair Intellectual Club 17, 84 FanFiction Comedy 48 Festival Detours 95 Foil, Arms & Hog 45 Foul Play: The Fucking Nasty Show 42 Fragile 67 Francesco de Carlo 32 Fred MacAuley 20 The Frederendum 20 Gavin Webster 42 Gein’s Family Giftshop 46 The Generation of Z 84 George Ryegold 48 Glen Matlock 62 Grandmaster Flash 93 Grawlix 39 Hand Made in China 23 Harvey, Garvey and The Kane 46 Horizontal Collaboration 82 How to Achieve Redemption as a Scot through the Medium of Braveheart 20 I AM I Killed Rasputin If it Wasn’t for their Wellies Igor Meerson Impro Chums The Improverts Isa Genzken Ivo Graham Jack and I Jamaica Farewell Janey Godley Janis Joplin: Full Tilt Jason Cook Jen Brister Jessie Cave Jim Davidson’s Funeral

68 17 61 32 17 34 85 44 61 67 48 66 45 48 39 44

Jim Lambie 12 Jo Caulfield 48 John Hastings 34 John Kearns 48 John Scott 42 Jonny & the Baptists 77 Josh Howie 42 Julia Sutherland 48 Kate Smurthwaite 13 Katherine Ryan 45 Kevin Harman 90 Kieran Hodgson 48 Kim Noble 17, 78 Kiss Me Honey, Honey!

69 Kitten Killers 42 KlangHaus 23 Klip 81 Kulturnomics 95 Land of Smiles 77 Late with Kate 13, 48 Liam Williams 48 Light 65, 84 The Living Mountain 61 Lost Voice Guy 44 Love. Guts. High School.

67 Lucie Pohl 48 Lucy Beaumont 40 Lucy Porter 17 Luke Wright 95 MacBheatha 69 Magadi – The Bride Price 68 Malasombra 52 Manuelita 82 Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Soho 84 Maria Addolorata 52 Mark Cooper-Jones 48 Mark Nelson 48 Mark Thomas 17 Massive Dad 46 Mental 23, 78 Meursault 95 Missing 54 Mock Tudor 84 The Mother of the Priest 80 My Obsession 17, 84 Nando’s and Nandon’ts: A Musical 61 The News at Kate 13 Nina Conti 48 No Guts, No Heart, No Glory 23 Northern Idyll 95 On the Upside Down of the World 68 One Man Breaking Bad 46 Out of Water 23 Paco Erhard 32 Party in the USA! 82 Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson 93 Paul Foot 48 Phil Wang 48 Pips and Panda 58 The Pitiless Storm 20, 84 Playback Impro 80 Political-Economy Parallels 95 Pomme is French for Apple 84 Pope Head: The Secret Life of Francis Bacon 80 The Post Show 84

Potted Sherlock Private Peaceful The Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant Race Racing Minds Ready, Steady, Ceilidh Red Riding Hood Return to the Voice Richard Herring Richard Searling Robin & Partridge Robin Ince Ron Butlin The Room Rosie Wilby Ross Sinclair RSA: Open Dialogues Ruby Wax Running Into Me Russell Kane Sarah Bennetto’s Funeral Sarah Tiana The Scottish Enlightenment Project A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts

58 80 20 68 34 58 58 73 17 93 44 48 95 48 48 90 90 48 84 17 44 43 20 84

Seymour Mace 48 The Showstoppers 34 Simon Amstell 48 Simon Munnery 13 Sister 67 Sleeping Beauty 81 Smarty Pants 57 Smelly Feet 57 The Snow Dog 57 Sovereign Secrets 95 Spoiling 69 Stephen K Amos 44 Suki Webster 17 Susan Calman 48 Susan Hiller 92 Sweater Curse 4 Tabula Rasa 54 Tessa Lynch 87 This is Brasil 51 This is Contemporary Ice Skating 23, 54 This Is Your Trial 34, 48 Tiff Stevenson 48 Tobias Persson 33 Tom Allen 46 Tom Shillue 41 Tony Law 44 A Tranny on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 62 Travesti 74 The Trial of Jane Fonda 84 UCAS 61 Urban Scale and Rural Sprawl 95 Viewmaster 84 Viv Gee 42 The Warriors: A Love Story 54 What Does the Title Matter Anyway? 34 Will Adamsdale 48 X and Y 74 Yacine Belhousse 33 zazU 46 The Zulu 68

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